Journey into the Stars
by SleepinEyes
Summary: AU: The planet is lost to the Creatures of Grimm. Humanity forced to live in space colonies. The last hope of humanity is a new spaceship made to explore the deep space and find them a new home. One young captain and his crew now need to get together and do what they can to give their people hope. Thanks to Swarley Stinson for beta reading.UP FOR ADOPTION.
1. A Beacon of Hope

_And one day, the creatures of Grimm arrived._

 _There was no warning, just the sudden presence of the deadly creatures._

 _Humanity was forced to fight. And lose._

 _When Dust was discovered, for a brief moment we believed we could fight back and retake our world. That was foolish hope of desperate people._

 _The Grimm kept taking our land. To the point the land wasn't ours, but theirs._

 _We made the most difficult decision ever._

 _We left the world that once was our home._

 _Now we live in space, between the fragmented moon and the planet, far from the Grimm._

 _Four gigantic space colonies. The Remnant Colonies._

 _Mistral, Vacuo, Atlas, Vale._

 _Two million people confined in what is no more than metallic tubes. Calling this living is a severe overstatement. We are surviving. Hope is nothing but a meaningless word._

 _Except maybe for one person…_

…

"Ozpin, that is ridiculous. He just graduated from the Spacy Officer's Academy; he is in no way fit to be captain of his own ship, especially this one!"

The exasperated voice belonged to James Ironwood, general of the colonial armed forces. The armed forces were responsible for both the internal security of the four colonies and their accessory space stations, as it were responsible for expeditions to the moon and the world below to harvest resources. The moon had very little of useful resources except for Dust, even after they used a nuclear bomb to open it like an egg. So he was responsible to send people down the world below to get whatever they could, despite the planet being filled with monsters. Even after the development of the _Hunter_ mobile armors it was the most dangerous job in the colonies. Only 10% of all _Hunter_ operators would reach old age. Being responsible for them didn't help Ironwood to develop patience.

"He is the top of his class, the best student we ever had and have his heart in the right place."

Admiral Tenryuu argued back. She was responsible for the Spacy fleet and training the pilots and officers of those, and while in theory under Ironwood command, she wasn't one to listen to his orders if they didn't made sense to her. Her left eye was now bionic, after losing it in a botched mission, and was a reminder to her that not all orders should be followed and that those above you don't know everything.

"And he just graduated. Not that this mission makes any sense to begin with. We are wasting resources AND lives with it."

"Now, calm down you two. We have discussed this very matter so many times before that discussing it now is irrelevant. The FTLRSS-7 is fully operational and tested. This project might be the only hope for everyone. The colonies can't expand fast enough, resource gathering is too dangerous. We need a place to live, a planet."

Ozpin, director of project Beacon, spoke in a conciliatory manner. Despite his young appearance, he was one of the most respected people around the colonies, both due to his success as a _Hunter_ operator and as an academic genius. He sipped his coffee as he looked once again at the files displayed in his holo-screen. After more than twenty years, his biggest project, his biggest hope was ready.

"And you think he will be the one to find it? We have no idea what is outside there, Ozpin!" Ironwood kept protesting, both hands on the table. "He barely passed the test to be a licensed _Hunter_ operator.

"No, he didn't, but a good ship captain doesn't need to be a good fighter, Jimmy, no matter how much you think otherwise. I saw my unfair share of great _Hunters_ turned officials dying in their first command mission and taking down good people with them. Miles will keep everyone safe **AND** complete the mission." Tenryuu stated in an angry but confident tone.

"We should use those resources to take back the planet we have!"

"We don't have a planet, Jimmy. The Grimm has it, 10 billion of them! Even if people at R&D give you the damned super weapon you think we need, they trashed the planet so badly it needs terraforming, at least a 100 years to it. And there is no guarantee the Grimm will kept inexistent when we don't know what created them to begin with!" Tenryuu growled again, her little patience also non-existent by now.

"Do you two believe in that lunatic's theory? Oobleck might be a top researcher with Grimm, but his theory about those monsters being of extraterrestrial origin…"

"And what do we know, James? Only that Grimm exists and nothing we tried to get rid of them until now worked. I agree the theory is a big 'if', but then this project could kill two birds with one stone. If we find a new world to live in, we can move everyone there. And IF the theory is correct and the FTLRSS-7 stumbles upon evidence of the Grimm having alien origin, it could help us to develop a weapon to get rid of them." Ozpin reassured and everyone calmed down.

"Then let me choose a captain with experience, a crew with the capacity…" Ozpin raised his hand prompting the general to stop talking.

"James, we need everyone with experience here. As you said, there are too many 'ifs' here, and as you said, we can't waste resources, especially human resources in what even I admit it is just a speck of hope. But the competency of the chosen captain is attested by Admiral Tenryuu, and she is yet to make a mistake about her indications."

"There is always a first time, Ozpin." The director sighed and drank a bit of his spiked coffee again.

"James, what exactly are we discussing here? How exactly this mission affects the colonies?"

"Hope is a dangerous thing, Ozpin; we both know that, you probably better than me as you still hope too much. I don't want the people of the Remnant Colonies to put faith in this project of yours just to have it crushed when it fails."

"IF it fails. Besides, I am making no promises to them, no one is. This IS a shot in the dark, and what we are doing is exploring a possibility. One that I think is worth exploring."

"Very well, do as you wish. But if people question your choices of crew, I won't interfere on your behalf." With that Ironwood left the room, and both Tenryuu and the director left out a relieved sigh.

"Ozzy, you saw Oobleck's data like I saw, and even if I am not the most academically gifted, even I know that his theory is not a big 'if', it isn't even a small 'if'. Miles will do everything in his power to succeed in this mission." Ozpin nodded in agreement before once again checking their captain file. The director didn't need a warrior, he needed a leader with the heart in the right place, and that boy seemed to be the right one.

Not that James Ironwood was the only one to think otherwise, as the two figures stomped into Ozpin's office, making the two people inside sigh in annoyance. In front of them were colonial counselor Henry Winchester and his son Cardin.

"Ozpin! I demand to know why my son was not selected to be captain of your little ship!" The older Winchester yelled, while his son gave a smug smile. Ozpin spent a moment to sip on his coffee. Today was going to be one of those days.

"Yeah, I am better than that Arc scrub in every single way." Cardin stated, and if Tenryuu could speak, she would remember the boy that the only thing he was slightly better than her candidate was in Hunter operations, but he was worse, greatly worse, in basically all other aspects.

"Counselor, this is a very dangerous mission, one where we can't spend valuable personal away from the colonies. We decided that your son is more valuable here, manning a _Hunter_ and defending the supply excursions to the planet. Besides, your son is a Marine, not a Spacy officer." Ozpin lied, knowing very well Cardin was severely under qualified to receive any command.

"Ah, I see, yes, yes. But of course my son is up on the list for a promotion since this Arc fellow will be absent…"

"Certainly." Ozpin said, knowing very well that with the limited supply of soldiers, it was a question of time before Cardin would hit a higher patent… If he survived long enough; and both Tenryuu and the director didn't have high expectations.

"Good. Well, let's just hope he doesn't fuck this up, Ozpin. A lot of money was spent on your project." Ozpin could only hope those two would go away soon.

"Excuse me?"

At the door was Jaune Arc, Lieutenant Commander of the Remnant Colonial Spacy. The tall blonde boy was wearing his uniform, and looked confused seeing the people there. He expected Admiral Tenryuu, but certainly he didn't expectnor wanted to meet Cardin Winchester and his father there. The former was a bully and an asshole, the later a bureaucrat that gave himself too much importance. Jaune certainly didn't want to deal with those two.

"Ah, Lieutenant Arc, I was expecting for you. We have an important thing to discuss and the Winchesters were about to leave." Ozpin said taking the opportunity to get rid of the two undesirable guests.

"Yes, of course. Excuse us." The older Winchester said as he walked out, but Cardin shoved his shoulder on Jaune on his way out.

"Loser." He whispered, but that didn't escape Tenryuu. Not only did she have a bionic eye, she also had enhancements for her hearing installed.

"2nd Sergeant Winchester, did you just disrespect a superior officer in front of me?" She growled, and Cardin cringed. He forgot she could hear him.

"No ma'am." He said and his father turned around.

"Excuse us admiral, we have things to do." With that he pulled his idiot of a son away and as the door closed, the admiral turned to the lieutenant.

"Miles, you need to pull rank more often, send that imbecile to clean some latrines."

"I would rather pull rank to have him out of the Armed Forces, ma'am. But I know even someone like him has his uses when we are so limited in personal. With luck, he will be useful as cannon fodder." Jaune commented, and Tenryuu laughed, while Ozpin just sipped his coffee.

"Lt. Arc, I would refrain of desiring misfortune to anyone, for more deserving they are of it." Jaune nodded and blushed a little due to the embarrassment. "Lieutenant, what do you know about project Beacon?"

"Faster-than-light spaceship development, with the intention of exploring the galaxy and to find a suitable planet for us to colonize. Since the development of the warp Dust engine, seven ships have being developed and now the seventh one is finished as a fully operational ship." Jaune resumed, and Ozpin nodded.

"The FTLRSS-7 is the ship that will start the mission of finding those planets. And of course, there is a secondary mission, one I am telling you in confidentiality. Are you aware of the External Origin Theory?" Jaune nodded, not aware of what Oobleck's controversial theory had to do with him. "The secondary mission of the FTLRSS-7 is to find the origin of the creatures of Grimm and a way to defeat it." There was a moment of silence as Jaune absorbed the information. "And you were selected by Admiral Tenryuu and me to be the captain of such ship and mission."

"Me, sir?" Jaune asked in surprised, receiving positive nods of the two other present. "Sir, mind if I ask why."

"Miles, you are best student I have seen to come out from spacy, period. We could send some experienced captain but old people have bad habits due to seeing too much bad things. You are young, so you have a future ahead of yourself. And I know you want to do the best you can for the colonies. I won't lie to you, Miles. We are pretty much in a hopeless situation with the Grimm. This is a war we can't win, not like this." Tenryuu stated, and Jaune felt his blood cooling down. He knew the situation was dire, but it has always been like this.

"The colonies capacity to recycle our resources are limited, the capacity of acquiring new resources is dangerous and not enough to compensate. In a hundred years, the colonies will collapse if we don't fix this situation, Lieutenant. We have but two options: get rid of the Grimm, a mission we have failed to achieve in the last thousand years, or find a new place to call home." Ozpin declared, and Jaune understood the gravity of the situation.

"Listen, Miles, you aren't the best _Hunter_ operator. Wasting your talent and sending you to fight Grimm would be a mistake. And I would rather have you doing something significant than commanding a transport ship or sending you as cannon fodder with Winchester." Jaune tried to process that information. He always wanted to do something for the colonies as his family have being doing for generations. He understood he was barely able to fight, but to be given command of a mission of such importance…

"Lt. Arc, I won't lie to you, the chances of this mission succeeding in any of its fronts are slim, but Tenryuu convinced me you are our best chance to see it through. I have made many mistakes in my life, Lieutenant, but I don't believe this to be one." Ozpin stated, and Jaune couldn't help but feel a little pride.

"Sir, who else is going in this mission?" He asked, now interested. If the choices were losing his life in battle and maybe do a little difference or a chance to do a real one, he was tempted to accept the offer.

"We have a hundred volunteers, maybe a little more. I would rather you choose from them instead of recruiting people against their will." Ozpin explained, surprising Jaune.

"Sir, are you saying I will be responsible to choose?"

"Yes. It will be your ship, Lieutenant. And better you have a crew you can trust and rely on than a bunch of strangers that would rather not be there."

"You don't have to accept right away, the mission is supposed to launch in a month, so I think we can wait a week for you to decide. Remember, there is a bigger chance of you never see this place again than succeeding, but I believe if anyone in the Spacy can pull this trick, it is you, Miles."

"I accept." He said after a few moments thinking. "I will do my best to be worth your trust."

"Excellent. Here are the files you will need to read. Your crew will be fourteen people tops, I know it is not a lot but that is an exploration mission, so I don't expect you to wage war against aliens or something. I will wait for your crew selection by next week." Ozpin said as he gave Jaune a black scroll with the classified information.

"You can still change your mind, Miles. Read the file and think really hard about it." Tenryuu than surprised him by giving him a sisterly hug. "I am proud of you, _Captain_ Jaune 'Miles' Arc. Now, go tell your family. If they don't kill you, I will see you tomorrow to show you your ship."

…

The Arc family was unusual by a series of factors.

First, it was a traditional family of heroes, with every generation providing at least one noteworthy hero to the colonies, even before they were created. Second, it was a big family due to a trick Jaune's parents used. Most couples were allowed one child and any extra ones were up to obtaining government licenses. But both Michael and Sara were geneticists, and using the excuse of creating better humans, they received the license to create seven girls using advanced technology, and that was how Jaune had seven sisters.

Maika, Mia, Micaela, Chia, Savannah, Dia and Noir were clones, using the most perfect DNA extracted from their parents, and a little bit of splicing here and there. That made all of them super genius and their geniality improved the life conditions of the colonies so much that all the Arc family were considered heroes, with the exception of Jaune, the younger and only natural child of the Arc scientists. With such a family, it was no surprise he wanted to do whatever he could to be of use for the colonies.

His sisters couldn't be more proud of him right now.

"I knew you could do it, bro!" Dia said as she hugged him together with his other sisters. They all were blondes with one eye blue and another green, and all had Faunus cat ears, something the Arcs justified as needed to improve their abilities. Jaune suspected it was to give the Faunus people heroes of their own after their troubled story and relationship with the humans.

"Mia will go with you!" His other sister commented.

"I… can't… breath!" he complained and the seven of them let him go. "Thanks, girls. I will do my very best."

"Son, I still think this is a bad idea. The chances of you returning are really not very compelling." Michael said in a stern tone. Jaune nodded in agreement.

"I know, Director Ozpin and the Admiral left it very clear. But look at our… house." Jaune pointed to the incredible small space the ten of them had to share. "If I succeed, we will have a real house, with real bedrooms like those in the historical archives. We will be able to eat as much as we want instead of how much we are allowed. Not only us, everyone in Remnant."

"Jaune, if this is about our family legacy, you don't need to do this. I don't want to see you dying early like your great-grandparent or so many others before." Sara said, and Jaune smiled.

"Mom, I am not doing this expecting to die. I am doing this because I want to live. Not just survive, but live!" He justified, and Michael patted his shoulder.

"Son, if it was up to me, you wouldn't go. But you are an adult, a Spacy captain. Just promise me you won't try to be a hero. Self-sacrifice might sound cool on books, but I would see you back to us in defeat than receiving a medal in your name." Michael said and Jaune hugged his father.

"Dad, mom, sisters… you all are my everything. I promise to do whatever I can to come back here. And we all know Arcs never go back with their word." And after that, he almost died when they all jumped to hug him.

…

Jaune was finally able to read the information in the small office in their apartment, and started with his ship.

It was a 400 meter long, 50 meter wide, 25 meter in the tallest height ship, akin to a battle cruiser. The reason the ship was that big despite carrying only a crew of fourteen was the need to have its own recycling plant for food and water, and since the mission had no real time to be finished, there was the possibility of people being born inside it. Ozpin provided a list of a hundred planets for them to visit, all in the three years of range for the travel and provided a time frame of at least five years to just check them out without a hitch. And if those planets were found unsuitable, they were supposed to keep going. So there was a real possibility of the crew to increase during that time.

Another reason for the size is carrying the _Hunter_ power armors, the brand new _Paladin_ class recently developed. Even Jaune would receive a custom one. The ship was armed to the teeth, with two front cannons, two rear cannons and much more small weaponry. While Ozpin hoped the trips to be peaceful, it was worth to be prepared, apparently. The ship also had something called Positronic Embedded Neural Network Interface, and according to the description was some type of advanced computer program to help the crew with their activities. It was made by Mia, so Jaune would ask his sister about it later.

He moved to the crew list. A total of 108 volunteers, and he immediately cut his seven sisters off it, knowing they weren't even allowed to leave the colonies. Again, Mia might have put them there with her incredible hacking skills. Jaune knew he needed a first officer, and he wanted someone who could help him keeping the crew under control as well as himself, so a name popped up in his mind, and she was there in the volunteer list. Commander Glynda Goodwitch, 35 years old, his old combat instructor. She was always a strict follower of the rules, and that was good for Jaune. Older officers would be compelled to take him off the captain's job using the rules on their favor, but Glynda would never do that for personal gain as she was a protocol nut. So he immediately added her as first officer.

Now he needed a medical officer, someone competent and that could act as a counselor for the crew and luck was on his side again. Dr. Shen Verd, age classified for some reason, volunteered, the wolf Faunus woman being both a great medical, surgeon and counseling doctor. With those two positions out of the way, Jaune decided to be bold, and cut of the list anyone five years older than him. He knew if the crew was all made of people too much older than him they would have trouble following his orders. Unfortunately that cut at least 60 people offthe list.

On the positive side, seeing familiar faces became easier. 2nd Lieutenant Lie Ren, software engineer, friend from combat school, same age as Jaune, 21. The boy wasn't a talker, but was trustworthy and competent. But with him there was always 1st Sergeant Nora Valkyrie, hardware engineer. The girl was always on a sugar high, but excelled in fixing stuff. The two together were a perfect engineering team, the only downside being the crazy nature of the girl. Jaune recruited them both anyway.

Now, only one other familiar face, much to Jaune's surprise. Major Pyrrha Nikos, 21, Marine. She was mostly famous due to her participation in competitions, and was more of a celebrity than a soldier, despite her service sheet also showing many achievements on the battlefield prior to her raise to fame. Jaune wondered why someone like her would want to go on a trip with big possibility of no-return, yet he decided to recruit her to be his field commander.

Now he needed to find the other positions, and looked at the qualifications of the people on his list. He found one Petty Officer Neptune Vasilias, helmsman and navigator, his file showing some reports of misconduct, especially with the opposite gender, and associated with him Chief Petty Officer Sun Wukong, gunner, Faunus, with a propensity to deliver pranks. While both had their skills praised, their behavior get their COs lots of headache. Jaune decided to save those poor COs and recruited the duo. Maybe Cmdr. Goodwitch would fix them, and also their antics would keep her out of his back.

He found a Gunnery Sergeant Coco Adel, 22 years old, gunner and Marine, great stats on battle, slight tendency to use unorthodox methods, never leaving a soldier behind. The mission was unorthodox, so better had an unorthodox soldier too, Jaune thought. Associated with her was Staff Sergeant Velvet Scarlatina, Faunus, also 22. Her file described her as a model officer, great _Hunter_ operator, and as a field medical officer with many commendations under her belt. Interest in exobiology could be helpful too. Jaune took them both. Dr. Verd would appreciate having another medical officer with her.

Now he needed to define his assault team, so we looked at the Marines. Not many volunteered, and not to his surprise Winchester was not there, nor his usual squad, which Jaune laughed at. Of course he would stay back in the relative safety of the colonies. But beside him was one Warrant Officer Blake Belladonna, 21, infiltration expert, Faunus. Her service record showed many successful missions but no commendations, probably because her CO was an infamous Faunus hater. Faunus were created a few hundred years prior to be better soldiers, but even their augmented abilities failed to defeat the Grimm, and when they started to reproduce naturally, their demands for equal treatment create a huge chasm between them and the humans, one that was still to be fully fixed. Jaune both recruited her and demanded her to be promoted to 2nd lieutenant rank, the rank her file showed him she should have by now.

Then he was surprised by one 1st Lieutenant Weiss Schnee, 21. The Schnee Dust Company was famous AND infamous for providing most of the Dust used by the colonies, but questionable work ethics covered by the government's need of a constant supply of Dust made the company less than liked by many people, even in the Spacy. That girl could have a life of princess provided by her rich father, yet wanted to risk her life with them all. Jaune recruited her.

1st Lieutenant Yang Xiao Long, 21, troublemaker and hot head. Her mother participated in the test of the FTLRSS-5, but that ship simply disappeared after warping, twenty one years ago, meaning they never really met. Jaune wondered if she was volunteering thinking they would, in the big empty space, found what happened to her mother, and if he would put such person in his ship. But something in her eyes told him to do it.

Lastly, he found something unusual. Captain Ruby Rose of the Marine Corps, 19, half-sister to Lt. Yang Xiao Long. Many commendations, called a prodigy, leadership skills tested in the field, well behaved as long as kept away from her sister, weird thing to write on a file. A prodigy… Maybe she could help keeping Yang in line, maybe they would destroy the ship. But she had those innocent naïve silver eyes, even for someone that probably saw more death than Jaune ever had. Well, every ship needed a mascot.

Jaune relaxed with his job done. Including him, fourteen crew members. He would probably meet them sooner than later, if things worked as expected, though Jaune had a gut feeling that wouldn't be the case here. He would spend the next day touring his ship, and as sleep start catching on him, he turned the scroll off and returned to the room he shared with his seven sisters, all of them already sleeping. He would miss all of them, despite all hell and dresses they forced upon him. But he steeled his will, knowing everything was for them, for all of the people in the colonies.

 _Better hit the sack. Tomorrow will be a loooooong day._

…

 **A.N.: I actually had this AU story idea while trying to sleep. It is heavily inspired by old shows lie** _ **UchuuSenkan Yamato**_ **and** _ **Super Dimensional Fortress Macross**_ **. I am really happy in how this story is developing, so I hope you enjoy it too. ^^**


	2. Ship and Crew

The new uniform didn't feel that different for Captain Jaune Arc.

It was the same old environmental uniform everyone in the military used. Spacy used grey suits, the Marines black and the Army, for some reason Jaune was still to understand, blue, but maybe it was because the Army also worked as the police force. His new uniform's only difference to the old one was the symbols and insignias on it to indicate his new position. And those new ones fit better. Getting new clothes in the Armed Forces was really hard.

Jaune ended up fixing himself, had breakfast with his family, with his new position still being the big talk of the day, and finally was able to get out of the apartment to go meet his new ship with Mia. Since his sister was part of the project, going with her made sense. After a few trips in the fast tubes, they were finally at the docks. The FTLRSS-7 was in its own space station outside the main colonies.

They were waiting for the bullhead that would take them to the station when they noticed a blonde older woman approaching in her Spacy uniform. Commander Glynda Goodwitch, future first officer to Jaune. She was a beautiful woman and her face was pretty ageless if they could talk about it, and more than a few heads turned towards the woman as she gracefully walked towards the Arc siblings.

"Captain Arc, Commander Glynda Goodwitch of the Colonial Spacy Forces presenting for duty." She saluted him, and Jaune felt weird to see someone who was his superior officer for so long now his direct subordinate.

"At ease, Commander. It is my pleasure to have you as part of the crew." Jaune said trying his best to sound professional. Apparently he did as a subtle smile appeared in Glynda's face. "I didn't expect you to be here."

"As your first officer, it is my job to support you in any way possible. Besides, I will be the one providing a tour of your ship." She stated, Jaune nodded and smiled. At least it would be some he was acquainted to, and Glynda didn't sounded displease by being in the command of someone younger than her.

"Mia thinks my little brother needs to present his girlfriend to her." Jaune looked terrified at his sister while the Commander just gave the Arc girl a cold stare.

"MIA! Don't go saying things that make people misunderstand! Com. Goodwitch was my instructor at combat school and it is in great part thanks to her and Admiral Tenryuu I am here." He said, missing a bit of a proud stare Glynda gave him. "I have nothing but respect for her, understood!?"

"Aye aye captain lil bro." Mia smirked, making Jaune groan while Glynda just had a smile in her face. Thankfully the bullhead arrived sooner than later, and the three blondes boarded it.

Jaune always felt at ease in the zero gravity environments outside the colonies. The gargantuan metallic tubes spun in their axis to create a faux gravity, and that always felt wrong to him. He even had motion sickness the first time he was deployed down the planet as the gravity attacked him badly. But there, weightless, he felt just… peace.

From the bullhead's small windows he saw the four colonies, almost identical to each other, just tubes with reinforced transparent synthetic glass on the top and bottom from where sunlight passed through. Around them several smaller tubes, donuts and other oddly-format space stations that usually housed hospitals, research centers and other dangerous setups to have inside the main colonies. The biggest structure aside the colonies was the Arena, a bowl shaped space station where shows and sports events were held.

Jaune always found that odd. Artistic endeavors were not professions recognized by the colonial government, and no one received a dime for them. Most people making music, books and other artistic activities usually did it in their free time. The problem with having limited resources was that only productivity activities were rewarded. Yet people still did their best to get entertained, and the fighting tournaments between the different colonies and their soldiers were the most popular sport. Even Jaune performed with his guitar once, accompanying a famous Spacy officer that was also a songstress.

"Captain, you can see your ship now." Glynda called, and Jaune turned to the other side of the bullhead.

He saw it for the first time, the ship that would become his home for the unforeseeable future, the FTLRSS-7. It was an odd ship, as it was clearly aerodynamic, like it was made to also go into atmosphere despite its considerable size. It was mostly black, probably the carbon coating used to absorb cosmic radiation. It had some red paintings like its ID, the colonial Spacy symbol (for some reason Jaune never understood, it reminded him of a sail in its mast) and a few lights on. The ship form was much like a broad dagger, the young captain wondered, and in its back was short wings on each side, the tips had large structures that reminded him of kite shields, but he knew those where the FTL engines that would allow them to travel to other star systems. The ship was inside its dock, which remembered Jaune of a big spider wrapping its legs on his ship.

 _My ship… It still feels weird calling her that._

Instead of docking on the station, the bullhead maneuvered to the back bottom of the ship, and the hangar opened to receive them. The bullhead slowly entered, and the hangar closed behind them. The second set of doors opened soon after, allowing them inside the pressurized area. There Jaune saw the ship had four bullheads like the one he was riding, plus two fighters to give support and a few land vehicles. As the bullhead touched down the deck, he saw the dark floor lit up in a faint green light, creating a hexagonal pattern. His next surprise was feeling gravity.

And a bit of motion sickness.

"Artificial gravity? I thought that was impossible." He commented as he tried to keep his mind off his complaining stomach.

"It was fully developed last year. Since we are going to be away far too long, it was decided we needed a bit of comfort, captain." Glynda explained, and Jaune nodded, but disagreed with what was comfort in this case.

"Can I turn it off?" He asked and the Commander just stared at him, while Mia laughed.

They get off the bullhead and were greeted by a peculiar person, at least for Jaune. Her environmental clothes were a weird mix of colors. It was grey as the Spacy ones, except by the black pants, and had neon green colors here and there. The girl didn't look older than Jaune, and had orange hair, green eyes and a pink bow in the back. There were no insignias, so Jaune wondered if she was a civilian contractor.

"Salutations Captain Jaune Arc, and welcome to the Faster-than-light Remnant Space Ship number seven. I am P.E.N.N.I." She said in a happy and friendly manner.

"Nice to meet you, Penny. Are you a member of the project Beacon?" Jaune asked with a small smile, and Penny smiled back.

"No, Captain Jaune Arc. I am part of the ship." Jaune and Glynda arched an eyebrow at that, and Mia laughed before going to the girl and putting an arm around her shoulder.

"Positronic Embedded Neural Network Interface, P.E.N.N.I., Penny for her friends. She is the AI supporting the ship." The Arc girl told, and Jaune was agape for a moment.

"An android?"

"That would be correct Captain Jaune Arc. I am not a real girl. Mom created me to be able to support the crew in their daily activities. I have two cores, one in the ship, and one in this mobile unity. The cores are in sync, but if needed I am able to support outside the ship with this mobile unit." She explained, yet Jaune's brain failed to process it properly.

"It is just me or this AI unit is… happy?" Glynda wondered, and Penny smiled more.

"Yes, I am happy meeting my future crew, Commander Glynda Goodwitch." The two blondes stared at Mia.

"AIs usually have trouble understanding us because they lack understanding of emotions. By making Penny feel emotions, she can properly support you, lil bro." Mia explained with no little pride hidden in her voice.

"If you are mom's brother, does this means you are my uncle, Captain Jaune Arc?" She inquired, hope in her clear green eyes.

"Wait, what?" Jaune couldn't be more confused right now.

"Mia Arc created me, therefore she is my mother. And you, being her brother, would be my uncle. Am I correct?"

"Yes." Mia said with a giggle.

"NO!" Jaune corrected promptly.

"I am confused…" Penny said while putting a finger in her chin.

"I will explain to you later, Penny." Jaune sighed as he knew his sister was responsible for this. "What exactly can you do?"

"I am combat ready, and I can operate a _Hunter_ unit. I also have medical capacity and can provide my own Aura." That was a surprise to both Jaune and Glynda. An AI capable to use Aura was quite a revolution.

Aura was a mystery to everyone. Many wondered if it was a side effect of Dust exposition, but no one knew for sure. Before that day, they all believed Aura could only be produced by living beings, and used by intelligent ones like humans and Faunus. It was Aura that powered the _Hunter_ suits. Jaune had lots of it, but his skills with the power armors were lacking to say the least.

"I can also control the whole ship if allowed by you, Captain Jaune Arc, but I mostly relegated to support the crew and keeping the maintenance of the ship." Penny finished, and Jaune nodded. It was weird thinking the computer system of his ship had feelings, but Mia was not the type to do things without thinking it through, so he decided to trust her.

"Very well. Penny, you don't need to refer to anyone on this ship with the full title. Just the patent or last name will be enough."

"Understood, Captain."

"I am surprised you didn't know of her before hand, Commander." Jaune asked Glynda, noticing her surprise.

"I knew the ship was equipped with a new AI model, but that is the first time seeing her mobile unit." Glynda explained, well aware Ozpin hid this detail from her on purpose, because he knew she would oppose about having a ship that could get its feelings hurt.

"We just finished the mobile unit this week. And don't worry, Penny can't turn against you or anything." Mia explained with an easy smile. Jaune wasn't much worried, but Glynda still distrusted the AI. "Now, come on, I will show you around the ship.

Space was something precious in the colonies, and therefore the word 'spacious' wasn't one used lightly. But that ship was the very definition of it. The corridors were large enough for the four of them walk side by side, there was a comfortable mess hall, a brig with four cells, a fully equipped med bay, and the quarters had full beds for the crew, to the point Jaune and Glynda would have separate officer's quarter. His own quarters were as big as the apartment he lived with his family, with a bedroom, an office with a big table, a private bathroom and even a real closet.

But what called his attention the most was the bridge.

Again, there was a big space there, with his command chair in the middle. In the front, three seats, the center for the helmsman, left and right for gunners. Back and left the communication center, one he expected to be manned by Glynda, and on the right the engineering center, where Jaune expected Ren to sit. Jaune froze there for a moment, the three girls looking at him, until he finally sat in the captain's chair. It felt comfortable yet terrifying at the same time. It finally dawned to him how much responsibility he would have from now on.

"Is the chair of your liking, captain?" Penny asked, getting him out of his thoughts.

"Yes, Penny, it is… does it have a cup holder?" Jaune asked jokingly, lighting the mood.

"Yes, press this button." Penny surprised him as the cup holder popped.

"Uh."

"How's your ship, Captain Arc?" Jaune spun on his chair to see director Ozpin standing there with a mug of coffee.

"Well, incredible is the only word that pops on my head. And Penny seems nice too."

"Thank you, captain. You also strike me as a good person." Penny said with a small curtsy, making Jaune and Ozpin smile.

"I think it would be a good idea if you moved in immediately, since it is a captain's job to know his ship as best as possible." Ozpin said and Jaune nodded in agreement. Penny apparently was ecstatic about it. "Now, I would rather leave you to your duty as a captain, but I was informed we have an appointment at the Arena."

"We do?" Jaune questioned but the director just nodded.

"It will be quick. I will have your family send your belongings here, and Penny will help setting everything in your quarters." Jaune sighed and got up, but he remembered something.

"Does the ship have a name? FTLRSS-7 is a mouthful."

"No, not yet. It didn't appear important at the time."

"A nameless ship is bad luck, director."

"So, why don't you name it? It is your ship after all."

" _Nagato_. She will be named _Nagato_." Jaune said with a smile, following the tradition of the Spacy in naming ships. Ozpin giggled a little but nodded in agreement.

…

Jaune hated the changes in gravity when going around. The Arena station had slightly lower gravity than the Atlas colony or the _Nagato_ , and that made his stomach attack. He finished vomiting at one of the bathrooms around the Arena, and he already missed the spacious living quarters of his ship. He smiled. _His ship_. He finally felt like a true captain of the Spacy, but now he was there to test-drive the new class in _Hunter_ power armor, the _Paladin_ class. He lamented that the situation they were in forced him to even have one.

Combat school was mandatory to every single body enabled citizen that reached 13 years old, where they all would have their Aura unlocked and trained for combat together with the mandatory school disciplines. Jaune heard, as everyone, rumors that medic personal was to terminate the life of anyone born with any defect that avoided the military service, a sad reality of living in the brink of extinction. Jaune barely was able to pass through it, suffering in the hands of Cardin Winchester as his bully. Thanks to Glynda and the support of Ren and Nora he was able to survive it and graduate, barely. But once you graduate combat school, you had a few choices.

Military service was mandatory for two years, no matter what career you wanted, so at seventeen they could choose the two years of service and go to get civilian jobs or get a spot on one of the three forces that composed the military. Ren and Nora, interested in the engineering career, got to the Army. Cardin got to the Marine Corps, and that was one of many reasons Jaune didn't go there. Spacy fitted him better, and even he admitted that he was above average there.

But he never expected to be captain so soon after graduating.

He decided to worry about it later; he still had a month before his departure, so he would just take it easy for now. He got out of the small space that they called a stall relieved, and after cleaning himself he made way to the main arena where he would test his new power armor, apparently mandatory equipment for all his crew members. As he walked distracted by his own thoughts he failed to notice someone walking the opposite direction and stumbled on said person.

"Ah!" A feminine voice let out as she landed in her butt.

"Sorry, let me help you." He pulled her up, and noticed the Marine uniform, though it lacked any insignias at the moment. For some reason she was wearing a cap and sunglasses, something not needed indoors, or even 'outdoors' considering how little real sunlight the colonies had, not to say the space stations around them.

"Thank you… Oh, sorry captain!" The girl immediately saluted Jaune, and he chuckled, still not used to be a high patent officer.

"At ease, Marine. I am at fault here."

"I am sorry sir, but…" Jaune put a finger on her lips and shook his head, making the Marine blush a little.

"My rank doesn't make me right, Marine. So, just accept my apologies."

"Sir, yes sir." She said now with a bright smile.

"Better. Now, excuse me, I have to test my new coffin." He saluted the girl and she saluted back, but as he walked away, he missed the fact she watched over him till he disappeared.

"So… That is my captain…" She murmured to herself, and smiled once again.

…

"Jaune-Jaune!" He heard the energetic redhead that was Nora Valkyrie yelling from across the preparation room where a few sets of _Hunter_ armor were being prepared. She rushed towards Jaune and pulled him into a bear hug. "I missed you!"

"If you missed me why you are trying to kill me, Nora?" He complained and she let him go with a giggle. "I see you are healthy."

"Sorry about that, Captain." Ren said as he approached and saluted Jaune. The young captain smiled and saluted back. "We are both eager to serve under your command."

"At ease, Lt. Lie. So, where's my coffin?"

"Sir, I would appreciate if you didn't call the _Hunter_ a 'coffin'." Ren said in his stoic tone, but Jaune just rolled his eyes. Engineers were proud of their power armors, but soldiers knew the survival rate inside one wasn't that favorable, to not say terrible.

Ren showed the way towards the _Paladin_ -class power armor. The blonde man was impressed on how compact it was compared to the old _Knight_ -class _Hunters_. That one was his personal armor, and it was mostly white, with some golden details, his family crest on the chest. With the exception of infiltrator armors, there was no camouflage to speak off, as the bulky old armors would be easily detected by the enemy. So it was common for soldiers to personalize their armors, especially considering they were so likely to die inside one.

" _Paladin_ -class is 30% lighter than _Knight_ -class armor. It also consumes 10% less Aura, and it have a 15% increase in durability, while keeping reliability and ease to maintain." Ren explained, and Jaune just could think it meant a very small increase in chance of surviving.

"Right… Let's try it on them." With the help of his two friends and the automated arms around the armor Jaune was soon geared up. It really felt better wearing one of those than one of the old armors, and he moved with ease. The HUD was also cleaner and more on point, and soon it was fully charged.

"We will now connect it with the FLTRSS-7…" Ren stated and a link was established.

" _Salutations, Captain. I can monitor your status from the Nagato from now on and provide assistance as long as you are in range."_ Jaune nodded as Penny's voice filled his helmet.

"OK, no more boring stuff! We talk weapons! We put some cool ones for you, oh captain my captain!" Nora shouted as the weapons schematics showed on the captain's display.

"Not much in weapons it seems…" Jaune questioned.

"Your fighting style is better fit for CQC. So… try the shield." Nora commanded, and Jaune activated the hardlight white shield in his left forearm. It shone brightly and looked like a hexagon. "Nothing can go through it as long as you have enough Aura to keep it up. Or until someone jumps on your back."

"I will keep that in mind."

"Now, the sword!" As commanded, Jaune activated the long white light blade that was embedded to his right wrist. "Sadly it can't cut everything, but still will ruin someone's day if you hit them."

"OK, Nora, I see what you wanted with this. And what is a 'neutron pulse rifle'? Sounds awesome."

"And it is AWESOME! Let's give it…" Ren covered his friend's mouth.

"Let's not. We will test it later, Captain. It is… a bit on the powerful side to safely use it here."

"Nice. Can I get this off now then? Everything is working fine and I don't feel like spending all day inside this."

"Oh, but we are still to test it in a fight, captain vomit." Jaune turned to see one person he would not bother seeing ever again. Cardin Winchester, wearing his _Knight_ -class armor; the golden eagle in his chest making him looking more of a douche than normal, approached them. "We are going to spar… oh, sorry; I meant I am going to wipe the ground with you."

"You shouldn't count with a victory beforehand, 1st Sergeant Winchester." Ren said still stoically, and Jaune groaned under his helmet seeing Cardin already got a promotion, probably with his father's help. Also, memories of vomiting inside his helmet the first time he deployed, granting him the 'vomit boy' nickname.

"Yeah! Besides Jaune-Jaune kicked your ass the last time you sparred!" Nora affirmed, and Jaune groaned again, knowing that wasn't exactly due to his skill.

"And now, I will have my revenge, Captain Arc." Those words were laced with so much venom that could as well being an insult. Thankfully Cardin moved out with his usual pack of goons, laughing.

"Why him?" Jaune asked, and Ren sighed.

"His father wanted to show him off, so he used his connections to get him as part of the demonstration to the higher-ups. We were lucky enough that the _Paladin_ armors are being made for your crew first or else he would be the poster boy." Ren explained as he finished checking Jaune's armor.

"Wouldn't be Major Nikos the one to be the face of the new armors?" Jaune asked, but as his friends were about to answer, they heard a siren calling for him. "Oh, great, here I go to be humiliated in front of everyone. Tell me does this armor have a 'win the fight anyway' button?"

"We are working on that." Ren said and Jaune wasn't sure if that was a joke or not.

Jaune walked towards the arena and was happy to see it was mostly empty… And unhappy to see all his sisters there with posters, as well as most of the higher-ups of the armed forces, including Ironwood. He hoped the new armor would give him something of an advantage over Cardin, but he remembered Glynda always saying the tool is not as important as who use it and how. Sadly the neutron rifle was locked for safety measures, so he would have to go with the hardlight shield and sword.

"I will enjoy this a lot, loser." Jaune heard Cardin's voice on his helmet. Of course he would use the private channel to bother him. "You don't deserve your post, vomit boy."

"Penny, block this clown out of my armor." The communication stopped immediately. "Thanks, Penny. Now, suggestions?"

" _Trying to not lose seems appropriate."_ The voice answered seriously, and Jaune felt relaxing and chuckling.

"You and I will be good friends, Penny."

"I am your friend?" Penny said amused.

"Sure, yeah. So help me to not get trashed here."

" _I see no trash around you, but I will provide support at the best of my capacity, Captain and friend."_ Penny answered energetically.

They waited for the sign to start, and as soon as it sounded Cardin charged against Jaune, using his variable mace to attack. The captain barely had time to activate his shield, which surprisingly held well enough to allow Jaune to counter. His blade hit Cardin's left side, but not with enough force to damage the armor. Jaune felt a bit more confident and had gone into the offensive, trading blows with Cardin. That had gone for a few minutes before Penny talked to him.

" _Captain, your Aura levels are at 50% now. The shield is consuming a lot of it, as well as the automated forcefields."_ She informed, and Jaune acknowledge it. All armors had an automated forcefield, not as powerful as the hardlight shield, but every time he got hit it chipped a bit of his Aura.

"I will take a risk move here."

Jaune rushed towards Cardin, and allowed him to kick him back. Jaune sparred so much against the Marine when in combat school that he knew he would try to hit him next with the mace and would expose his left side for an attack. He rushed again to attack, and was swinging his word. But Cardin was about to strike his head from the side, when Jaune felt his shield arm move on its own and block the mace, allowing the captain to attack and destroy the cameras on Cardin's helmet. With that the siren sounded and he was declared the victor.

"Penny, did you assumed control over my arm?" Jaune questioned as he returned to the preparation area, while Cardin trashed around blindly, forgetting he had reserve cameras on his shoulders.

" _No, captain. I did detected electromagnetic interference, but was unable to locate the source."_

"Report that back to Ren and Nora, and keep an eye for it from now on."

" _Understood, captain."_

Jaune was forbidden to remove the armor yet, as Nora wanted it fully charged for the neutron rifle test, so he just removed his helmet and joined his sisters at the stand, being praised by every single one of them. He was concerned about the interference in the fight though, but was taken out of his thoughts as the stadium was filled with some kind of epic music.

"Oh, it is Pyrrha Nikos!" His sisters pointed at the arena and yelled like crazy fans. Jaune knew Pyrrha as almost everyone, and he did recruited her, but he wasn't a big fan of the tournaments, thinking those were a waste of time for the soldiers involved. He saw the famous red and bronze colors entering the arena. He never saw her fight before, so he found odd she had a physical shield. She carried a variable carbine on both hands. Jaune realized they were transmitting that fight around as he saw the big screens showing sponsors and other things, and sighed. They were transforming the event is a spectacle, and he hated that.

"Oh, this will be good." His sister Noir called his attention. Cardin and his fireteam entered the arena, the bully with a new helmet, it seemed. Jaune wondered why he was asked to perform when they were going to make the famous Major Nikos provide them with a show.

And what a show.

It took her two minutes to defeat the four _Knight_ -class _Hunters_. And none of them touched her, nor in any moment did she get in trouble. The shield was actually some type of automated drone hovering around her. Simply put, she was so out of their league, Jaune's league, what happened was a massacre, not a competition.

" _Captain?"_ Jaune got surprised as Penny called him by his communicator.

"What is the problem, Penny?"

" _I couldn't keep an eye on it as you asked, but I monitored remotely this battle, and detected several small electromagnetic interferences in fireteam CRDL's armors. The likely source was Major Nikos."_

So, that was how she was able to control the flux of the battle so easily, she somehow tampered with her enemy's equipment. Jaune knew that was probably her Semblance, a type of special power people manifested with their Auras, something Jaune completely lacked.

" _Captain, you are being requested at the preparation area."_ Penny talked again, and Jaune sighed hoping it was about to remove his dammed armor.

…

"Lt. Lie, I am feeling a bit pissed off right now." Jaune said at the intercom as he stood outside the space station, his magnetic boots keeping him in place.

" _Sorry captain, but that is the safest way to show the neutron rifle. Your targets are already in position, one click ahead of you, 15 degrees up, 9 o'clock."_ Jaune looked at the coordinates and saw six _Titan_ -class armors being positioned by bullheads. Those were bigger, older power armors before the _Knight_ -class and probably were decommissioned. He wondered what he was expected to do. _"The neutron rifle takes seven seconds to charge. You better keep locked on target the whole time. Also, use your shield."_

He activated the shield and the rifle, and listened as the gun armed on his back before moving to his right side. It indeed looked like a rifle, except longer and with three blade-like structures instead of a barrel. Jaune put the shield up his front and the hardlight construct opened a slit where he slid the frontal part of the gun. After locking at the targets, he started charging, and saw his Aura depleting fast as the gun started accumulating a golden energy between the three blades. The seven seconds seemed to last an eternity, but as soon as he saw the 'ready' warning and fired, everything happened in a split second.

A beam of golden light as wide as Jaune was tall was fired, and despite his armor and shield he felt the heat. The protective shield on the Arena station got red from the heat too in the parts closer to the beam. The six targets simple disappeared after the passing of the beam. Jaune stood there seeing the neutron rifle cooling down.

"Ren, what the holly hell just happened!?" Jaune yelled at the communicator.

" _The test was a success. You used a fifth of your Aura to fire a supercharged neutron beam, which vaporized everything in its path, including the targets. Range is estimated in ten clicks before dispersion, and now you see why we didn't fire it inside."_ The engineer calmly stated, and Jaune was just baffled.

"I could take down a battleship with this!"

" _Indeed, but sadly this weapon only works with people with great amounts of Aura like you, and even you can fire it only two, maybe three times. Now come back inside and we will check your equipment."_ Jaune agreed and started to return back to the inside of the arena. He finally felt things were more hopeful for his mission.

…

"He would be more useful down there killing Grimm! And just the other day we talked about super weapons!" Ironwood said to Ozpin, no small amount of anger in his voice.

"James, that was no super weapon. It is not much different than the cannons installed in our spaceships or battle tanks, except that it doesn't use a 100kg of dust to fire each round. The… strategic value of Captain Arc down there is pretty low, at best."

"Screw Arc, tell me why every soldier doesn't have this gun right now!" Demanded Winchester Sr., more worried about why his son didn't had a neutron rifle.

"Counselor, to even fire a neutron gun you need to use a ridiculous amount of Aura. Captain Arc has five times more of it than the average soldier, and he used a fifth of his reserves to fire one single shot. Most soldiers would be unable to move after a single shot." Ren tried his best to explain the situation.

"I don't mind if he is the only one. He could kill a thousand Grimm with a single shot. I am transferring him to the Marine Corps." Ironwood stated, but Tenryuu started laughing.

"You can't transfer him without permission of the Spacy commander, and guess who the Spacy commander is, Jimmy? We agreed to not try to snatch each other's staff or else I would have got Major Nikos a long time ago. Besides, what did you said yesterday about Miles? Oh yeah, that 'he barely passed the test to be a licensed _Hunter_ operator.'"

Jaune approached the mess the higher-ups were doing and sighed as he removed his helmet, tired of seeing them discussing because of him. He just wanted them to stick with one decision instead of changing their minds every day. He stood by the side of a Marine and commented the situation.

"I wish they used as much energy they use verbally abusing each other in solving our troubles."

"That would be grand, yes." The Marine answered and Jaune recognized the voice of the girl he stumbled upon early.

"Hey, you are that girl… and Major Pyrrha Nikos…" He stood there, looking at the emerald eyes of the Marine. She smiled back and fixed her ponytail.

"So you finally recognized me, Captain Arc. I was quite surprised that you didn't recognize me at the very moment we met."

"I don't follow the tournaments, Major. Honestly, if it were up to me you would be doing missions instead of entertaining civilians. I am glad you volunteered to be part of my crew." He commented with a charming smile, and Pyrrha blushed a little. "I am eager to work with you."

"Thanks, captain. I am… eager to do that too."

"And thanks for your help back there with Sergeant Winchester." She looked surprised over the fact he noticed her interference. She disliked Winchester as much as everyone else, so making him lose was something that pleased her.

"You know, maybe I can help you with your CQC skills when we start the mission. You have quite the talent yourself." She asked, and Jaune blushed as he noticed she was quite beautiful up close.

"That won't happen because you are not going, Major." They turned around to see Ironwood speaking directly towards them. "If I knew you volunteered for this mission I would have warned you against it sooner. While it is clear I can't stop Captain Arc of leaving in this mission, you are a Marine and still take orders directly from me."

"Sir, as you said I am a Marine. My job should be fighting the enemies of Remnant." Pyrrha said, and there was a clear hint of sadness in her voice. "Yet all I do is promotional stunts."

"What you do, Major, is keeping the population confident in the Armed Forces capacity of fighting. I will not lose you to this hopeless mission, nor risk one of the few things that keep the population distracted of their troubles." Ironwood spoke clearly not wanting an answer, and so Pyrrha lowered her head.

"Permission to speak freely, General?" For their surprise, it was Jaune speaking.

"Yes, captain?" Ironwood sighed, deciding that allowing him to speak would be better than letting Tenryuu doing the talk.

"I have read Major Niko's file, and her capacity as a field soldier is nothing short of spectacular. It would be an honor having her in my crew and my invitation to her stands." Pyrrha felt happy, for reasons she couldn't explain, hearing his words. "But it has being three years since she last was deployed in a real mission, and if the fact I can work as a battery for a gun is so important for you, a true soldier like her should be in the field, not in the arena."

"That is all, Captain?" Jaune nodded. "Maybe when you are older, if you return of your mission, you will understand the importance of her job. My decision stands, I am not transferring Major Nikos to your command. Now, excuse us."

"He is as stubborn as a mule. Sorry you lost the girl, Miles." Tenryuu said as she patted Jaune's shoulder and walked away with the rest of the higher-ups. The captain and the major still traded a stare before she was out of his reach.

…

Pyrrha sat alone in her quarters.

She looked at the wall covered in competitive medals, but it was on her table that were the medals from duty, the ones she really valued. She didn't become a Marine to be stocked away at the safety of the colonies and to be showed off to the civilians when convenient, she wanted to help people. Certainly she liked competing, but now she was all alone. Her fellow soldiers didn't saw her as one of them, and even her rank was more because the Armed Forces thought 'Major' sounded good with her name, not because of her achievements on the field.

And the civilians put her in a pedestal so high she felt separated from them. And now when an opportunity to escape the clutches of the PR arm of the military she was told she was to be kept in her golden cage. And she even liked that one Captain Jaune Arc, the one who looked at her field achievements, the one that supported her, and the one that didn't care about her fame, and saw her as a soldier he would like to have on board.

But she was now all alone again, trapped in her own success.

That is when her scroll played a weirdly happy music she was sure she didn't put on it.

She grabbed it and opened the message, and gasped and had to make an effort to not cry.

 _Don't unpack your things. You are coming on this trip, I have everything set. Don't tell anyone till a day before we depart, and delete this message ASAP. C.J.A._

…

 **A.N.: The ship is named Nagato in reference to both a Japanese vessel that fought during WWII, Nagato Yuki from Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and the character Nagato from KanColle, that is based in the WWII vessel too. XD**


	3. Fireteam RWBY

"I swear to heavens if the captain get angry at us I will throw your cookies away!" Weiss complained as they rushed to the bullhead dock.

"I am a captain too!" Ruby protested as she also ran with her team.

"A Spacy Captain outranks a Marine Captain, Captain." Blake said as they finally arrived and boarded the bullhead destined to take them to the _Nagato_.

"Besides, he is an Arc; I bet he is all uptight with codes and regulations. Your cute puppy face won't work on him." Yang finally completed, making Ruby pout.

It has being a week since they got accepted into the Beacon program, and now they finished the paperwork for their transfer of command. They would pass the last weeks before departing living in the FTLRSS-7 _Nagato_ , and to most of them that would be a bless. Blake in special was happy to be yanked out of her platoon. Not only her new CO gave her all the promotions her racists higher-ups denied her for so long, he chose a Faunus for his crew and she couldn't help but be curious about it. Weiss was just glad to get away from her overbearing family and their plans to pull her out of the Corp and into an arranged marriage, something she disliked so much that going into a dangerous trip to unknown territories sounded pleasant. Ruby hoped she could stop having people treating her, as Yang defined, as the 'bee's knees'. Sure pulling rank helped, but she just wanted to be like any other soldier around. Yang was there just to keep Ruby safe and because she was bored of slaying Grimm.

Seeing the _Nagato_ for the first time apparently got people the same reaction, one of surprise and awe over how different she was compared to other ships. The bullhead ported directly inside the ship again, and the four Marines looked around the unusual ample space. Their _Paladin_ -class _Hunters_ were already docked in the bay. Ruby was admiring the place and the artificial gravity floor and didn't notice when she stumbled on someone.

"Sorry friend, I didn't see you there." She looked up to meet Penny bending over her, staring at her eyes.

"You called me friend… Am I really your friend?" Ruby looked at her teammates and all signalized to deny the affirmation.

"Sure, yeah, why not?" Ruby answered, making everyone fall down but Penny.

"Sen-sational! We can paint our nails, and try each other clothes and talk about cute boys! I can't wait to tell Captain Arc I made a friend all by myself!" Penny celebrated, surprising the four girls.

"You are part of the project staff?" Blake questioned, and Penny shook her head.

"I am part of the ship. I am its AI interface, Penny. You are Capt. Ruby Rose, Lt. Weiss Schnee, Lt. Blake Belladonna and Lt. Yang Xiao Long. Am I correct?" The girls nodded, still processing the fact they just met a robot and Ruby became her friend. "Fantastic! The captain asked me to give you all a tour and take you to talk to him as soon as possible. Please, follow me."

The four Marines followed the android as asked, and similar to Jaune all were surprised about the ample spaces inside the ship. After leaving their bags at the crew quarters (and convincing Ruby she didn't needed to decorate her upper bunker right away to claim ownership), Penny took them to meet the rest of the ship. After touring most of the installations and meeting Ren and Nora (and making sure Weiss wouldn't kill the energetic girl), Penny took them to the captain's quarter. She opened the door without knocking.

Meaning getting the captain right out of the bath and completely naked.

"Captain, I brought the Marines as soon as possible as ordered." Penny stated happily, failing to realize the situation. Jaune jumped behind his desk as Ruby, Blake and Weiss rushed outside. Yang stood there with a predatory look.

"Penny! The hell?! New rule! You won't enter my quarters or allow anyone inside my quarters without knocking and receiving permission or if I am dying! Now get the Marine behind you and wait outside until I call you back!"

"Aye aye, captain." Penny left and had to pull Yang along. It took a few minutes before Jaune called them all back.

"That is all, Penny, you can go see if the first officer needs help with something. And tell Mia to change the alarms back to Spacy standards. Trash metal is NOT the standard." The artificial girl acknowledged the commands and left. Jaune sat in his chair and sighed. "At ease, Marines, please sit down." The fact the four girls could sit down in the ample office was another wonder for them. "Thanks for offering to join the crew, and sorry about this incident. Penny still need some… adjustments."

"Hey, no need to be sorry, skipper. I am quite pleased with what I saw." Yang teased, and Jaune looked scared at her, before Ruby discreetly hit her ribs.

"It is an honor to be part of this important mission, skipper. We hope we can be of service for you and the ship." Ruby said nervously, and Jaune chuckled to her surprise.

"No need to be so formal, Captain Ruby. We aren't on mission yet, and I hope we can work together." Ruby left a relieved smile; apparently that Arc wasn't as strict as people let it be known. Yang also smirked, but had other ideas. "If you need anything, you can inform Penny… well, not necessarily her mobile unit, just get to any speaker available and tell her. Right, Penny?"

" _Yes captain. I am always available for the crew."_ The voice came out of the speakers, and the Marines looked around in astonishment.

"Thanks, Penny. You probably were already briefed with the mission objective by now. But do you have any questions for me?" Jaune offered, and Weiss spoke first.

"Captain, we are Marines, and our main function is to engage the enemy. Do we really expect to engage any?" Her question was more in the sense she didn't wanted to spend years doing nothing around the ship.

"There are trillions of stars in our galaxy alone, Lieutenant. If only 0,0001% of them have habitable planets, and 1% of them have life, that still would be a thousand planets. You are here to cover those bases. Besides, all of you have enough training to cover other members of the crew. So I don't think any of you will be out of things to do." He answered, and Weiss nodded, still unsure of those facts.

"How many people will be on this journey?" Ruby asked next.

"Fifteen, if you count Penny. The four of you, Commander Goodwitch, my first officer, Ren and Nora and of course myself, are already on board. The rest are to arrive later today, except two that will come in the last day before we depart due to personal reasons."

"Are you single?" Yang asked and received another less discreet hit on her ribs.

"Yes, I am, the relevance of this questions fails me though. Any other questions?"

"Can I speak privately to you, captain?" Blake asked and Jaune conceded.

"Hey, no stealing him for yourself, kitty!" Ruby groaned and grabbed her sister collar.

"EXCUSE US CAPTAIN!" And she dragged her outside, followed by Weiss, which remembered to salute the captain before leaving.

"Will I have trouble with Lt. Xiao Long?" Jaune asked Blake, and she rolled her eyes and smirked.

"Certainly. But you asked her to come. Which is the question I wanted to ask. Why me?"

"Your active record is impressive." He simple stated, surprising Blake. That simple way of thinking was unusual.

"Sir, I am aware your sisters are genetically modified to look like Faunus…"

"They are Faunus, lieutenant." Jaune corrected.

"Permission to speak freely, sir?" The captain conceded. "They aren't. Sure, both Faunus and they were created by humans, but they don't share our story, our struggle. They were born in a prominent and traditional human family, with support and opportunities we, naturally born Faunus, don't have. They aren't the same as us."

"Lieutenant, if they aren't Faunus, and they aren't human, where do they belong?" Blake got surprised at that. She didn't have an answer. "I don't like the human and Faunus separation, Lieutenant. I have seven amazing, lovingly sisters. That is all I see. And all I see in front of me is a competent Marine that had her amazing performance go unrewarded by people too blind to treat you as an equal. That is why I chose you. Or should I treat you in any different way because you are different from me?"

Blake watched Jaune, and she failed to notice any sign of a decorated discourse, any sign he was just saying those words because it was what she wanted to hear. He wasn't like so many that would support the Faunus because it made them feel better. He simple didn't wanted to make the distinction, or maybe due to growing up with seven sisters that looked like Faunus he simple didn't have the ability to do so.

"No… I want to be treated as any other member of the crew, captain. That… is all I can ask for."

"And that is all I can give you, Lieutenant. I hope we can work well together." He finished, and Blake nodded, feeling relieved now.

"I hope so, too. Sorry if I said something inappropriate."

"Your people have it hard, Blake. I am not stupid to not see it. All I can do within my power is not making it harder, and help where I can. Anything else?"

"No, sir. Excuse me."

Blake walked back to the crew's quarters, still digesting what she was told. When she volunteered for that mission, she had her reasons. She was surprised when she got a promotion with it, and now she was stunned that her new CO was probably the best one she ever had since enlisting. She was taken from her thoughts when she arrived at her quarters to the usual quarreling between their new teammates.

"You had to ask him if he was single! He is our CO you idiot!" Weiss yelled at Yang.

"And a very well served CO, I might say." Yang purred and wiggled her eyebrows.

"Yang! I don't want to pass half this trip with you at the brig!" Ruby begged and made her puppy eyes.

"Come on, the guy is surrounding himself in women. And he is cute!" She answered and they stopped to think about it.

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked first.

"Have you seen any men here aside him? Even the AI is a cute girl." Yang explained herself and they trade some stares.

"Isn't Ren a guy?" Blake chimed in.

"Dunno. Ren have a very nice face, hair, eyes… Damn I am envy of him… her? Besides, that Nora girl is all over him… her?" The blonde Marine wondered again.

"He doesn't color me as this kind of guy. I mean, you heard him yelling when he entered his quarters and he was naked." Blake defended him. She wanted to believe he was not like that, but she also was having her doubts.

"Imagine, several beautiful girls, years alone in the space, only one man around…" Yang kept the teasing, making Ruby blush madly while Weiss looked indignantly at her. Blake just sighed and sat on her bunker, checking her scroll for new books.

"You know, instead of worrying about love life in space, I wonder how we will be served on the entertainment side." Blake commented, trying to end that subject.

" _The Nagato is being uploaded with all entertainment content available in the Remnant colonies, and that includes all content released till the day of departure."_ Penny answered over the intercom, almost giving a heart attack to the Marines.

"Damn it, Penny! Are you everywhere?" Yang shouted as she grabbed her breath.

" _I am available in all locations of the ship, all the time."_

"All the time? Wait, does this means you heard our conversation?" Weiss asked.

" _Yes, I am recording everything that happens at the ship during all times."_ She answered chirpily.

"And are you reporting this to the captain?" Ruby asked worried.

" _The captain can ask for access to my records at any time, for all records, but I only present him records deemed of importance. Is your conversation worth of the captain's attention?"_

"NO!" they all yelled at the same time, then Ruby assumed. "Hey, Penny, is the captain the only man aboard?"

" _No, 2_ _nd_ _Lieutenant Lie Ren is also male."_ She answered simply.

"Is he together with Nora?"

" _When questioned about this, Nora simple said they are together, but not together-together."_ Ruby was about to ask more questions but Penny resumed speaking. _"The captain is inviting the crew for lunch. You have thirty minutes to get ready. Or should I inform the captain otherwise?"_

"We are going, Penny, thanks for informing us." Weiss said and the voice got silent. "I will tell the captain about this privacy issue at lunch, and Yang, you better behave! I will not tolerate any disrespect with our CO!"

…

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DENIED MY EXTRA LUGGAGE!?" Weiss yelled at Jaune while he cooked their meal.

"Penny, what was in Lieutenant Schnee extra luggage?" Jaune calmly asked the mobile unit.

"254,8kg of homemade beauty creams, and at least a dozen different electronic devices for beauty care." Penny stated.

"I will complain to the Admiral! I need those to keep my hair perfect!"

"I doubt Admiral Tenryuu will accept. Probably she will make you cut your hair shorter." Jaune stated as he kept cooking, and Weiss grabbed her hair protectively.

"Come on, princess, it is not like the military grade shampoo is bad." Yang said between her snickers.

"I also sent back Lieutenant Xiao Long extra clothes." The AI spoke again, and Yang's eyes glowed red.

"You did WHAT?" Ruby and Blake had to hold her down or she would have jumped on her CO.

"Where exactly you think we are going? I doubt we will have many opportunities to hit a night club or a fancy restaurant along the way." Jaune said. "And I was half tempted to send Ruby's cookies back…" Ruby make the saddest puppy face ever. "But since it is food I opened an exception. If you four have some comfort food, I might ask for some. Just don't expect to be a lot." Ruby smiled relieved, her cookies were safe.

"Fine!" Weiss conceded and sat down, soon Nora and Ren joined them. "By the way, we have privacy concerns about Penny listening AND recording all of our talks."

"I don't know about how it is in the Marines, but all ships in the Spacy record all activities all the time." Jaune explained.

"That is fine in the short trips between the colonies, the moon and the planet. But we are supposed to live here for years." Weiss retorted, and Jaune wondered about it. Certainly knowing what the crew was doing all the time, especially when some of them were prone to misbehavior surpassed any privacy issues. So he decided to do like the Admiral and straight up lie.

"I will look at the issue and do whatever I can to provide you all with as much privacy as permitted." He spoke and that apparently sufficed for the white-haired Marine.

"Captain, Major Nikos is asking permission to board the ship." Penny stated, and Jaune was taken by surprise.

"Very well. Tell the Commander to greet the Major and bring her here for lunch." The captain stated as he added a bit more of food into the pans he was working with.

"Major Nikos? As in Major Pyrrha Nikos, seven times champion of the Intercolony Tournament?" Ruby asked as her silver eyes shone in glee.

"I don't know any other Major Nikos, Capt. Rose." Jaune said with a chuckle, and that made Ruby going in a frenetic mood as one of her heroes was going to be onboard. It didn't take long before Glynda and Pyrrha arrived.

"Hello again. Thanks for receiving me, captain. I know you might be busy." Pyrrha said with a salute, now wearing the proper Marine uniform with her insignias in place. She had an easy smile, while the rest of the Marines present looked in surprise seeing her there.

"At ease, Major. Sit down, lunch is ready. You too, Commander." He said, and they sat at the table, Ruby, Weiss, Yang and Blake at one side, Pyrrha, Nora and Ren at the other, with Glynda at the head of the table. Penny kept standing up. "Penny, sit down too. I know you don't eat, but you can join us at the table."

"I am grateful, captain." She said before sitting by Ruby's side, the younger Marine just staring in awe at Pyrrha. She would be like that if Weiss didn't pinch her out of her reverie.

"Ouch! Hey!" She protested, but stopped when she heard Pyrrha laughing and blushed.

"Sorry, Captain. I am just not used to eat at a table with my fellow Marines. Please, don't hold back because of me." Pyrrha asked with an easy smile, and Ruby smiled back and giggled.

"Permission to break protocol, major?" Ruby asked, and Pyrrha conceded. "Would you mind giving me your autograph later?"

"Of course not, captain. But none of you need to be so formal, I am just visiting." Pyrrha explained and they relaxed a little. Jaune started serving the food to them. "Captain? Why are you cooking?"

"My parents and sisters where always away, so I needed to learn how to cook. Besides, no one else in the crew knows how to cook, and Yang and Ruby's record explicitly says to keep them out of the kitchen." Jaune explained as he sat down by Pyrrha's side, while the two girls in question let out some nervous laughs over the memories of the horrors of cooking.

While Jaune was eating already, they all looked at the food. Calling what they ate food was always a bit of an overstatement. There was a brown slab with beige slices on top, a few colorful thin strips and a pale yellow mass with some brown thick liquid on top. That was supposed to be steak with mushrooms, salad and mashed potatoes with gravy, but they all knew those were artificial food. There was no space in the colonies for farming, so what they had was colossal vats where bacteria and algae where grown, processed into different forms, textures and flavors and gave to the people. And it usually tasted awful, especially in the armed forces.

"I swear it is edible." Jaune said again as he noticed nobody was eating.

Pyrrha was the first to try his food, and she couldn't believe it. It actually tasted good. Seeing her happy surprised face made everyone try it, and all agreed that the food actually tasted something that wasn't cardboard and regret. The mood certainly improved as the warm food filled them, and the prospect of living in that ship for years was not so bad anymore.

"So, Major, are you going to be part of the crew?" Weiss asked, hopefully that someone as incredible would join what till that moment she defined as a cast of misfits.

"I volunteered, but General Ironwood stated that I am more… useful, here. Admiral Tenryuu and Captain Arc tried to get me on board, but my skills in tournaments apparently are invaluable." She said with no small hint of sadness in her voice.

"Wait, he tried to get you too, eh? So, captain, how many women will be on the crew?" Yang asked, full of second intentions on her voice. Jaune looked at her and thought about it for a bit, and was about to answer when Ruby and Blake yelped. Mia and Chia sneaked into the room and where hugging and petting both.

"No fair captain lil bro! You should have told Mia you were cooking and that you got such a cute Marine as part of the crew!" Mia protested as she rubbed cheeks with a blushing Ruby.

"You know, brother, I am not sure if I want you travelling around the galaxy with such beautiful ladies." Chia commented as she petted a displeased Blake.

"OK, cut it out you two. I left food for you on the heated shelf, and they are all here for their competence, not their looks." Jaune stated, as his sisters grabbed their trays and sat on the table too.

"I am pretty sure Captain Arc will keep the high moral standards the Spacy is known of, right, Captain?" Glynda stated as she glared at Jaune.

"Is that right, skipper?" Yang gave him a very seductive stare and licked her lips, making him blush.

"Lt. Xiao Long, I hope I won't have troubles with you!" Glynda stared the Marine down, but she still winked at Jaune.

"Yes, Lt. Xiao Long, you won't mess with my brother." Chia growled lowly, always being the most protective sister.

"Is that because they accidentally saw the captain naked?" Penny spoke, unleashing hell.

…

"Sorry, skipper…" They all said as Jaune stared them down, after the lunch almost turned in a full brawl.

"You know, I should have seen this coming. I selected you after all." Jaune said as he finished cleaning the mashed potatoes from his hair. "So, to keep some things clear, Mia and Chia, I am not using my position to get laid. And to the rest of you all, we will respect protocol and decency here, BUT… It will be a long trip and I won't put behind the fact things can happen. Yet I am the captain here, and I will be treated as such, are we clear?"

"Yes skipper…" The Marines and Nora (she jumped into the fight quite quickly) said, including Pyrrha and even Ren for some reason.

"Good. Major, sorry for all this, you are visiting and my crew is already a bit… rowdy."

"Actually, that was probably the happiest meal I had since joining the armed forces." The redhead was barely able to hide her contentment into doing something so trivial.

"Alright? So, as an apology, I will take you to tour the ship, if you have time." Jaune offered, and Pyrrha smiled brightly at that.

"That would be grand, captain."

"Commander, I think the Marines need to be remembered of the proper protocol inside my ship. Would you kindly remember them?" Glynda stared at the four girls with an evil smirk.

"Aye aye, skipper."

"Penny, are the other four arriving soon?" Jaune turned to the android.

"Yes, Captain, they are predicted to arrive later today. Should I follow the same protocol than before?"

"Just remember to knock and ask if I am presentable. Now, excuse us." With that he led Pyrrha towards the ship, the redhead more than happy to be alone with him.

…

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS! ONE DAY!" Weiss complained as after two hours of being lectured about proper discipline they were finally back at their quarters as they finally were putting up their things.

"At least the Captain seems to be pretty chill about this. Others would have us cleaning the decks with toothbrushes. I am pretty sure Com. Goodwitch was thinking of that." Ruby said as she finally put her posters around her bunker.

"I like him. I am so going for him." Yang stated as matter of fact.

"YANG! As your sister AND superior officer I forbid you of getting us in trouble with the skipper!" Ruby protested, but the blonde girl laughed loudly.

"Well, what if the captain sees my best assets, accidentally?" Yang answered as she unzipped her jacked and exposed her rather ample cleavage. "I can't blame him if he couldn't keep his hands off me."

"YANG!" Weiss and Ruby shouted at the same time.

"You probably would have to fight the Major for him. I am pretty sure Pyrrha was too happy with his attention." Blake commented as she read a book on her scroll, reading her favorite series, _Space Ninjas of Love_. Not that she would ever tell anyone… And she would have to make sure Penny wouldn't open her mouth about it.

"Cereal box girl? I am pretty sure I can take her down." Yang said confidently. Pyrrha was the cover of the Star Pete cereal boxes, a sugary confection that was popular with kids.

"I am more curious about the rest of the crew members that will arrive today. Maybe we should go and wait for them at the bay? Penny, when they are supposed to arrive again?" Ruby asked the thin air.

" _Arrival of Sergeants Adel and Scarlatina are programmed to be in twenty minutes. Petty Officers Wukong and Vasilias arrival is TBD."_ Penny answered over the intercom.

"Well, it beats sitting around and doing nothing." Yang said, but Weiss stopped her and fixed her uniform.

"I swear to heavens, Yang, I won't get court martial because you can't keep your hormones in check!" She shouted, but the blonde just laughed and walked away.

…

"That is one big ship. Someone is definitely trying to compensate something." Coco said as she got out of the bullhead and into the _Nagato_. Besides her was her long time friend Velvet, and the bunny girl looked terrified.

"Coco! Behave! The captain might hear you!"

"Yeah, yeah, who would tell him?" Coco asked as she fixed her sunglasses and bonnet.

"Salutations!" They turned to see Penny standing there, startling the duo. "I am Penny, the ship's AI. You might be Sergeants Adel and Scarlatina. Welcome to the _Nagato_."

"And I will let you know nobody is compensating anything." Yang teased, before Weiss slapped her head.

"W-what?" Velvet asked in surprise as the new arrivals looked at the Marines.

"So, more two beautiful girls to the crew." Weiss commented, arms crossed in front of her. "I am starting to think our captain might actually being thinking with another head."

"I heard that Marine." They turned around to see a pissed off Jaune approaching with Pyrrha Nikos, the girl really seemed way too happy. "And I swear to heavens the next one making an inappropriate comment will be cleaning the hull without a space suit!"

"Uh, our captain seems like an angry fella." Coco commented to Velvet, the bunny girl coiling in fear.

"Sorry about this, Major. I will fix them some way." Pyrrha smiled brightly and suppressed a giggle.

"It is OK, captain. Would you mind if I come back to visit often? I really had a nice time."

"I am OK with it. Commander?" Jaune turned around to look at Glynda.

"Major Nikos is more than welcome to visit. I will prepare the appropriate passes."

"Thanks. I am leaving now, since the bullhead is here and all. It was a pleasure meeting you all." Hesitantly, Pyrrha boarded the bullhead and it left, leaving Jaune to deal with his crew, but Penny cut him first.

"Sir, the military police is asking permission to drop Petty Officers Vasilias and Wukong."

"Yeah, of course my luck wouldn't get any better. Of course the last two would arrive with the police! Grant them permission… I was going to ask why you all can't wait we actually take off to start giving me headaches, but apparently some of you can't wait to even put your feet in my ship!"

…

"You know, captain, are you sure you want those two? I never saw a CO cry of happiness because two subordinates of his were going away…." The MP Officer stated as he uncuffed Sun and Neptune.

"In for a pound, in for a penny, officer." Jaune answered as he signed the 'delivery' of the two officers.

"I don't understand what I have to do with this…" Penny wondered.

"It is an expression; I will explain later, Penny. Now, Officer Wukong, can you explain why you two arrived in a police bullhead?" Jaune asked as he dismissed the MP Officers.

"It is just an overreaction." Sun said with a smirk.

"We were at a party, you know, since we are going away for so long…" Neptune added, fixing his aviator goggles on top of his head.

"…and Neptune here was hitting on that pretty lady with the black hair and minidress…"

"…that was, by the way, daughter of one of the coronels. And girlfriend to our lieutenant…"

"…and we had to defend ourselves when they tried to kill us." Sun finished, and the duo fist bumped and smirked, making Jaune groan. "By the way, you have a good taste in women, skipper."

"True, quite a good selection here." Neptune said giving a bright smile to the girls. "I told you this would be an awesome, Sun."

"Did you two get punished for your… party yet?" Jaune asked, and they laughed.

"Nah, you saved our bacon, skipper. I told you he would be cool, Sun. So, do your girls are captain's only or can we take a shot?" Neptune winked at the girls, that all looked at them with shock.

"Commander, the Petty Officers just volunteered to try the brig for 24 hours. And to keep them out of trouble, they are forbidden of leaving the _Nagato_ until second order." Jaune said, and the two boys looked at him and laughed loudly.

"Good one, skipper. You almost had me there." Neptune said, but Jaune expression was not of one joking. "Wait, really?"

"You two better follow me, Petty Officers." Glynda said, and the two groaned but followed the commander.

"'I told you this would be an awesome, Sun. I told you he would be cool, Sun'. This is why we never follow your ideas!" Sun complained but followed the Commander, while Neptune just tried to keep his cool act.

"Now, marines, will I have any trouble with you all from now on?" Jaune asked the rest of the crew, and they all shook their heads. "Great! Sorry about this, Sergeants. I hope this will not be a day to day thing. Penny, show them around the ship and after take them to my office. And remember to knock and ask before this time."

With that Jaune left, stomping his feet and murmuring something about 'good ideas' and 'soul crushing regret'. That left the girls to awkwardly look at each other's before Coco broke the silence.

"Is he always like that?"

"Actually, he is kind of on the cool side. I think we might have exaggerated a bit." Ruby explained with an awkward smile.

"A bit? I am surprised he just didn't kick us all off his ship!" Weiss added, ignoring she was at fault too. "At least it is clear he is not building a…"

"Weiss, remember the ship is always listening." Blake said as she put a hand over the white haired girl's mouth and looking at a confused Penny.

"B-better we start now, Coco. This is a pretty big ship." Velvet finally added as the shock left.

"Oh, the ship is not the only big thing around." Yang added, before being slapped by her sister several times.

"DAMN IT YANG!"


	4. Departure

The rest of the month passed faster than Jaune expected, probably because there was no moment of boredom in the _Nagato_. Pyrrha visited often, and started training the captain on the better use of the _Hunter_. For some reason, Yang also took to herself to keep him in form, creating a series of training exercises, ones she was a bit too touchy. Aside that, he had to deal with Penny's lack of common sense, Sun and Neptune incredible tendency to get in trouble despite being confined to the ship, Weiss and Ruby's arguing all the time and his sisters constant 'visits'. He was glad that Coco, Blake and Velvet were nice enough to not give him any, and that Glynda was a great help, despite the poor woman also running out of energy.

But the day of departure was finally upon them, and Jaune fixed his formal uniform for the last public event before departure, and finally downed upon him that this was going to be one of the last moments he would spend with his family. He sighed and fixed his hat, and the captain uniform felt inappropriate, somehow. A note to the fact he was severely underprepared for such task.

"Let me fix your tie, captain." Glynda turned him around and adjusted it. "There, a true Spacy captain."

"Am I? I am barely able to control the crew, Commander, what when true decisions that can signify life or death comes around?"

"Permission to speak frankly, Captain?" he nodded. "Jaune, the truth is that I doubted you since the first day we met, back at combat school. Somehow you were able to graduate, and at first I believed it was luck, considering how lacking you were. But Tenryuu speaks dearly of you as an officer, and this month under your command showed me she was right. The crew we got is hard to deal with, yet they all act like family, and they respect you. I respect you. If we are going to complete this mission, it is not a hardboiled captain we need, but someone who can drive us together."

"I… wow… Thanks, commander. I will be counting on you… as always." He said with a smile, and she just fixed his hat.

"But you need to learn how to dress properly."

"Not everyone look as good as you in these damn uniforms, commander." He stated, and she smiled teasingly at him.

"Are you hitting on me, captain?"

"WHAT?! NO! I would never hit on you! Not that you aren't attractive but OH HEAVENS DAMN IT! Let's go before I swallow my foot!" he said as he walked away, making Glynda left a small laugh out.

…

Boredom.

That was the word in order as Counselor Winchester kept talking about the important moment they were living, and Jaune never felt so bored since Colonel Port did one of his long retellings of past battles at combat school. The young captain looked to see his crew all sat by the left side, trying to stay awake, and only military discipline and well placed needles kept them awake for the long speeches. On the other side was General Ironwood, Admiral Tenryuu, Director Ozpin, Major Nikos and for some reason Cardin. After the counselor finally stopped speaking, it was General Ironwood, using so many clichés about bravery and the importance of the armed forces that Jaune was pretty sure he heard them all before. He only paid attention when Director Ozpin spoke after the general.

"Today, more than twenty years of hard work comes to fruition, and we launch the first faster-than-light ship in an official mission. This mission is one to find us the possibility of having a new home, one where we don't have the fear of the creatures of Grimm. This is not an easy task, and the dangers before the young crew of the _Nagato_ are unknown. But I don't bid them farewell, because I believe in them, and in this project. I can only say to them, that we will see them back, if not soon, someday." With that he sat back over a few applauses. Now it was Tenryuu turn to deliver a speech.

"The right person for the right mission was the lesson I learned the hardest way during my career as a Spacy officer. Knowing who this person is is a skill hard to develop, and a mistake could cost more than expected. Therefore when I was asked to select the captain for the FTLRSS-7, I knew the person I needed was not one stuck with old principles and values, but one that would put his heart for this mission. I want to invite Captain Jaune 'Miles' Arc to share a few words with you."

Jaune sighed internally and walked to the podium, almost willing some emergency would take him out of the speech. He could see his family there, the families of many members of his crew, a small crowd of reporters and many senior officers. He could tell not everyone was happy with him up there. He prepared many discourses for that moment, but decided none would be good enough. So he just decided to improvise and speak from his heart.

"The only lesson my grandfather, General Johannes Arc, left to me was that the decisions you make shouldn't be about the future you want for you, but the future you want for your sons and daughters. I want a future where they aren't confined to colonies, where they have a freedom we don't. That is why I am going in this mission, so our children can have a better future." There was a moment of stunned silence before a series of eager clapping and cheering. Jaune just watched a bit dumbfounded. Once the cheering stopped, he decided to move a little plan of his forwards. "Now, I invite one of my crew members to speak, Major Pyrrha Nikos of the Marine Corps."

If there was a moment where silence could be felt was that one. It only broke with the sounds of Pyrrha's footsteps towards the podium, while almost everyone looked in surprise as she positioned her there. Ironwood was probably the one most surprised about this, while everyone else simple couldn't believe the famous Marine was going into a mission that most still didn't believe in. Only a few people seemed aware that was going to happen, Jaune, his sisters and Admiral Tenryuu.

"When Captain Arc invited me to join his crew, all I could think of was the people of the Remnant colonies. I enlisted so I could provide them a chance of a better life, and as he said this mission is this chance. My many victories at the tournaments pale in comparison to the importance of this mission, and so I accepted it. In the same way I did my best while competing, I promise you all that me and my crewmates will do our best to succeed. Thank you." Her discourse cause energetic applause from the audience, despite a few higher ranked offices shocked expressions.

…

"ARC!"

"Yes?" The ten Arcs turned as a pissed Ironwood approached, followed by the Winchesters and other officers. The families were giving the last goodbyes to the _Nagato_ crew, and there was many crying and talking at the moment. But the general wanted the head of only one.

"Captain Arc, a position you might not hold far too long. I am NOT allowing Major Nikos on this trip, and I thought we left this clear last time! What you thought you were doing calling her like that?"

"Oh, about that. See, I really wanted someone as skilled as the Major on my ship, so I checked both the Armed Forces regulations and the Project Beacon laws. I discovered, after my sister Maika translated the legalese, that the law that approved the project also gave me, the project CO, power to, and I quote, 'recruit in emergency character any member of the Armed Forces he sees fit as long as he do it within 24 hours before the departure'. Since I was still out of my 14th member, I sent a request to Admiral Tenryuu, my highest graded officer a request for Major Nikos."

"And following the protocol, I had three hours to accept his request, which I did in the last minute, and sent it to Pyrrha's direct superior, Colonel Port." Tenryuu stated, and Ironwood turned to the Colonel, that just wiggled his moustache.

"Colonel, did you approve this?"

"Well, yes. According to protocols I had three hours to inform the Major of her recruitment and hear her on her desires. I found her in the last minute, and since she manifested her deep desire in going, I allowed. But I sent you the report soon after." The Colonel defended himself, and Ironwood was almost visibly fuming of anger.

"You two wasted six hours on this, and sent me the report in the middle of the night, knowing as well I would be busy with this ceremony?"

"Well, the law says the Armed Forces general-commander have six hours after the approving of the emergency recruitment to overturn it. If he fails to manifest in this time frame, the recruitment is automatically approved. And this time frame passed… 30 minutes ago." Jaune finished with a smug smile o his face.

"General, I want to go. You might think I am more useful here performing to the people, but this is not what I think or want." Pyrrha chimed in, and Ironwood breathed hard.

"You are staying, Major. This is an order."

"That you can't give to her anymore, Jimmy. She is under Spacy chain of command now, and you can't order my people around." Tenryuu said, wearing the smuggest smile she had.

"I can order you to order her."

"Then I will complain with the Military counsel about you, and they would have to do a hearing and all. And I would use my 48 hours of preparation time." Tenryuu finished, tying the hands of the general from a military protocol point of view.

"We just need to change the law. The colonial council can be summoned in three hours, and I am sure I can convince them to amend this law so we can keep our golden girl here." Counselor Winchester said, but apparently that didn't affected Jaune and Tenryuu, while Pyrrha looked worried.

"Yes, you can, and then I would have to use my second option. I already have the needed approvals so 1st Sergeant Cardin Winchester can be Major Nikos replacement, and that is under a military emergency protocol for immediate mission, one that the council can't interfere." Jaune explained, and both Winchesters paled.

"I will have the council overrule this farce, Arc, and if you weren't going away anyway I would have you expelled!" Ironwood growled.

"L-let's calm down a little, general. It is not like Major Nikos is irreplaceable and all…" Counselor Winchester said, knowing very well that the council wouldn't try to step in military problems for his son as they would for Pyrrha. That last betrayal put Ironwood on the verge of punching someone, especially tall, blonde and scraggly.

"Fine! I hope you all are happy. I will allow Pyrrha to go if you are all going to such lengths to take her away. Just to be clear, Major, your career won't be waiting for you." Ironwood finished and walked away furious, followed by the officers and the Winchesters.

"Welcome aboard, Major." Jaune said with a smile, that Pyrrha gave back one of her own and a salute.

"Aye aye, skipper."

…

"That was very bold, skipper. The face of pure hate on Ironwood's face was priceless." Sun commented as they returned to the _Nagato_. Jaune just sighed in relief that his trick paid off, and that Ironwood was too pissed off to remember that he could just delay the mission until he sorted the crew arrangement. Everyone received Pyrrha with open arms, and she was nothing but happiness incarnate. That made all Jaune's efforts worth it.

"OK, everyone, line up." Jaune ordered, but it was ignored, making him groan. "Commander, would you kindly?"

"OFFICER ON DECK!" She shouted, and immediately the crew, even Penny, lined up.

"Thanks, commander. We have… less than eleven hours before departing, and while I am as happy as you for having Major Nikos as member of the crew, we will have to celebrate later." He stated and everyone relaxed a little. "Ren, Nora, how are things on your side?"

"Every system is running as expected." Ren started.

"We can go to where no one has gone before at any moment!"

"People, I am not going to force any of you to take this trip, so this is the last opportunity for giving up. Is any of you unsure you want to go?" Neptune was about to raise his hand but Sun, forced it down. "Thanks, I knew I could count with you all. Doc want to do one last check up with everyone before we depart. After your check up, I want everyone to check your private equipment and your posts to ensure everything is in place. Ruby, take your team and comb the ship after you all followed the previous orders. I don't want any stowaway. That doubles if they are my sisters. You are all dismissed."

The group dispersed with their orders, only Penny and Pyrrha staying behind. Jaune looked at the artificial girl first.

"Anything troubling you, Penny?"

"I am not a real girl, therefore I don't need a medical examination, nor do I have personal equipment that needs check." She informed, and Jaune nodded a little.

"So, monitor external communications from the bridge. Inform me if Ironwood or anyone is attempting to do any movement to delay our departure."

"Understood. I am glad you are coming with us, Major Nikos."

"I am glad to be here, and I hope we can be friends."

"Sen-sational! I now have fourteen friends!" Penny skipped away happy to perform her duties, living Jaune and Pyrrha to laugh a little.

"Captain, permission to break protocol." The redhead asked Jaune and he conceded. Suddenly she hugged him tight, suppressing her tears. Jaune stood there without any idea as how to proceed. They stood like that until she calmed down enough. "Thanks, for doing everything you could to have me there. I finally feel I belong to the armed forces, and that I am a soldier. Not only that, thanks to you I forged friendships that I know will last a lifetime."

"Well, one day I was going to be of help." Jaune stated with a smirk, before Pyrrha gently slapped him in the shoulder, but smiled at him. "Hey, no assaulting a superior officer, Major!"

"Well, better I go follow your orders then, skipper. And thanks again. You won't regret taking me in."

…

"How's the crew, Doc?" Jaune asked as he too finished the exams. Dr. Verd nodded a bit before smiling.

"Everyone's healthy, though helmsman Vasilias might suffer of a little itch for a while." The doctor answered with an evil grin on her face.

"Of course he would hit on you." Jaune sighed as he started dressing up again.

"Well, you were the one that decided to call him, Jauney." She stated as she relaxed a little, knowing that going with them would be interesting to say the least. "But none of them are bad people. They all believe in the mission… Well, most of them do, anyways, and they all talk fondly of you. Especially a few of them."

"What?" Jaune said missing the implications, but the doctor decided that messing with him was funnier and let it go.

"Now, how are you, Captain Jaune Arc of the _Nagato_?"

"Nervous, you know? Stressed would be a better word. Now that we are finally going, I just realized I won't have anyone to fall back into if I make a mistake."

"You can always fall back into your friends, Jauney. That is why we are here, to support you and the mission. Besides, you might not know, but the crew you chose… I believe they will do well for each other on the long term, even if the short term can be a bit…"

" _Captain, we found stowaways and we are in pursuit!"_ Ruby's voice sounded from the intercom. Jaune groaned and took the call, already knowing who would be.

"It is Mia and Dia, aren't them?" He asked as he finished fixing his uniform.

" _Actually, the seven of them."_ She answered, and Jaune audible cringed.

"I want them out of my ship, Marine. Use force if needed."

" _Sir, yes sir!"_ He finished the call and turned to Dr. Verd, the Faunus woman laughing hard at it.

"Har, har. Glad to see my troubles amuse you, Doc. You know, now I want to take off sooner."

…

The last few hours of preparation apparently lasted longer than the whole month they spent till that moment. After getting his sisters out of the ship, twice, they were finally on lockdown, all ports and entrances to the ship closed. All the cargo was loaded and all the last checkups done, and all they needed now was the green light to depart. Jaune entered the bridge and sat on his chair. Ren, Glynda, Sun, Neptune and Coco were on position, while Penny stood by his side. A few smaller ships were around, probably for PR purposes. He watched the small screen on the right arm rest. He still had fifteen minutes before launch, and he was almost asking control to allow him to go already.

"Sir, why not saying a few words to the crew?" Glynda suggested, and Jaune had no idea what to even say at that moment. He was a pile of nerves, but probably so was the crew. With that in consideration, he decided he might as well say something.

"This is your captain speaking. We are about to depart to hell if I know, estimated time to arrival is good luck trying to guess." There was general laughter around the ship as he lighted the mood. "Now, since you all were too stupid to sign off this mission while you could, I want you to know I couldn't have chosen a better group of troublemakers. And yes, Yang, you are the number one troublemaker. I can't promise you all much, except I will do whatever I can to bring you back home alive, eventually. If possible in one piece, but beggars can't be choosers." Jaune didn't look back at the shocked face of Glynda, and probably he was better not knowing the face Weiss was doing, otherwise everyone was finally relaxing. "And especially, thank you all for volunteering… We will come back here, and with our mission accomplished… Oh, the control just cleared for launch, so I recommend you all to tighten your seatbelts. Dinner will be served when I feel like it; otherwise Capt. Ruby hides cookies under her pillow." He was sure he heard the young Marine threatening him. "But thanks, everyone. Let's make ourselves proud."

"That was the best speech ever." Sun said and gave Jaune thumbs up.

"I am pretty sure that one won't be in any record." Glynda said in an exasperate tone.

"Eh, their loss. Well, time to put this show on the move. Helmsman, circle every colony, then I want to see the planet one last time."

"Right away, skipper!"

The 'legs' that held the _Nagato_ opened up, and the ship floated free. It activated its magnetic impulse engines, and slowly moved forward, the light blue lights shining on the back of its 'wings' as it silently crossed the empty space between the colonies, the several smaller ships giving passage. Inside one of them were Ironwood, Tenryuu, Ozpin and the Arc family, and they silently saluted as the ship started maneuvering around the colonies. None wanted to feel like that, but what they were seeing was maybe their last hope.

The ship circled the four colonies in an elaborate but elegant maneuver, and while the ship's screens where filled with the sight, no one on board felt sad. They all grew up hearing how one day they would have their planet back, and therefore they never felt any deep connection with the metal cans that served as home. But now, they were going to find a place to really call that, and they all hoped.

The ship started accelerating, and left the range of the colonies, and now they all could see the planet. All that was left was a brown and dirty blue planet, the life of it destroyed by the creatures of Grimm. There were so many that even from there they could see the black spots of the mass of Grimm moving around, waiting the next time the colonies would need supplies from the dying planet. Neptune maneuvered the ship again, now pointing to the fragmented moon, and waited his next orders. The captain just looked in front of himself, and wondered if things could have gone differently in other life.

"Helmsman, move us to the jumping point. Once there, we are going to warp to the first star system in our schedule."

Leaving the planet behind showed to be harder to them than the colonies. Somehow it felt wrong to leave it behind, but yet they needed to move forward, so Jaune turned the cameras towards the front of the ship. From space, the sea of stars looked like a collection of precious gems and shiny pieces of cloth entwining in each other, with colored smoke filling the spaces in between. Somehow none of them spent much time watching the stars, and they were filled with awe at that sight. Jaune remembered old sailors used stars as a way to navigate the seas, but now they were going to navigate into them. Somehow it felt oddly poetic, and he felt the need to hum, surprising the crew. It was an old song about leaving the homeland, one from before the colonies were created that his family kept alive.

Soon the bridge started humming along, and Penny broadcast the humming to the entire ship, and felt necessary to send it back to the colonies. The captain didn't notice it immediately, but when he did, he kept humming as the _Nagato_ approached the departure point. Even while there, they kept humming till the end of the song, and everyone stayed silently for a minute after.

"Ren, is the warp system ready?"

"Yes, sir, fully functional."

"Helmsman, warp at my command…" Jaune looked at the stars one more time, as the ship took its final position. "Engage."

A soft vibration was felt, and the gravitational floor turned off, the weightless sensation pleasing the captain. There was a moment of silence, and the screens had gone blank before a soft white glow created a flowery pattern. There was no sensation of movement, but that of time passing slowly, and certain warmth. Jaune could swear there was a singing voice, but the origin he couldn't find. It was just for a few minutes, but soon the warp trip ended, and the screens showed a binary star system in front of them.

"Confirming coordinates… We are at the edge of the Aphid system. Our warp jump was a success, skipper. 35 light years from home." Neptune said and there was a moment of cheering at the bridge and around the ship.

"That was fast." Coco commented with a long whistle.

"Very well. Helmsman, how long before we reach the life zone of the system?" Jaune asked, the life zone being the space where a planet should be from its star to allow life to exist.

"Three days at cruise speed, skipper."

"So let's get going. We have other places to go if this one is a bust. Commander, the bridge is yours; I will be in my office." Jaune said as he left to the tube that directly connected to his quarters.

He entered his office and saw how now it was fully decorated with his stuff, and sat at his desk, looking at the portraits on top of it, mostly of his family, some of him and Tenryuu, and now some of his new crew. It was weird that they just left Remnant a few minutes before and it felt already it was so long ago. He imagined that his family was already making bets on when and how he would come back, while Tenryuu would had convinced Ironwood to drink with her.

Jaune had some bottles of alcohol in his cabinet, a present from many of the officers in Spacy, but Tenryuu always said you only drink in a ship if you are an alcoholic or mourning a fallen comrade, so the captain decided it was not the moment to indulge him on them. He was wondering what he would do for dinner when he heard the doorbell.

"Come in." He was surprised to see Sergeant Scarlatina coming inside. They barely talked since she arrived, the bunny girl too nervous around him to do so. "Can I help you with something, Sergeant?"

"A-actually, I was j-just wondering if you were alright." She said shyly, surprising him. "You are our CO, but you are the same age of most of us. So I was wondering if you needed someone to talk with."

"Thanks, Velvet. I appreciate the offer, but just knowing I can count on you is enough. Well, I better start making dinner." Jaune said feeling a little better.

"Do you mind if I help?" Velvet offered, and Jaune nodded.

"You are most welcome, Sergeant. Well, maybe from now on things will go smoothly."

" _Captain, there is an altercation between Capt. Rose and Lt. Schnee."_ Penny informed, and Jaune groaned, making Velvet suppress a giggle.

"Tell Major Nikos to solve that, she is the highest ranked Marine on board." Penny acknowledged and they walked towards the mess hall. "I swear sometimes I just want to throw all of them in the brigs."

Velvet couldn't help but laugh and Jaune laughed too.

 _Just like home._


	5. Contact

The green and yellow planet dominated the screens on the bridge of the _Nagato_. Jaune looked at the planet with curiosity. It was bigger than their home planet, and had two small moons, both smaller than the fragmented one back home. Aphid-4 was indeed a beautiful planet, but its appearance meant very little for their mission, and as the ship got in equatorial orbit, it was time to make the hard questions.

"What initial analysis says, Velvet?" He asked the bunny girl, her knowledge on exobiology useful in situations like that.

"The planet is hotter than ours by 20 degrees Celsius, and it has 1.2x the gravity. It has a solid surface, but…" Jaune signalized her to continue, but admired her professional way of speaking, made it better by her cute accent. "The green and yellow is likely by copper and sulfur on the atmosphere, and I am almost sure that the oceans aren't made of water, but probably inorganic acids."

"Peachy. I vote for moving to the next one." Sun commented, but Jaune had protocols to follow.

"How long before we have a full analysis of the planet?"

"Three hours, twenty two minutes and thirty seconds." Penny informed promptly, and he nodded and left a sigh out.

"Do it, and scan the moons too since we are at that. Put the ship in yellow alert and fireteam RWBY and Major Nikos on standby. I will be at the training room if something important comes up." Jaune said and was about to go when Ruby, at the moment on duty in the gunner seat questioned him.

"If we can't live here, why waste time scanning them?" It was more a question out of curiosity, so Jaune answered it.

"We might not be able to live there, Rubes, but we might find something useful. Besides, it is not like we have other stuff to do." He answered and left the bridge. While the captain knew that his mission held great importance, he also didn't want to rush things and miss something important.

The truth was that the protocol for every mission involved searching evidences of alien life, but the captain didn't told anyone about it yet. He felt no need to worry them about something like that until they found it. People at the colonies disliked the idea they weren't unique, and specially the idea that the Grimm came from space, as it meant, to many, someone out there was trying to eliminate them. So instead of creating unneeded commotion, he just decided to focus on the main mission.

The training room was the fourth biggest room in the ship, only losing to the docking bay, storage center and the recycling plant room. It had enough space for training with the Hunters, those coming by tube directly from the docking bay as needed. It was the favorite pastime for the crew spending time there, and a few rivalries appeared already, especially Yang against Pyrrha and Weiss against everyone. That girl really liked to be on top, and to brag about it in a veiled manner, despite not even the white haired Marine being able to defeat the Major.

The captain disliked the competition, and preferred just spend the time training, combat with Pyrrha and physical conditioning with Yang. That day he decided to just run on the running mill, so he changed into training clothes at one of the stalls and started running, putting some old songs to help him relax. While the trip being uneventful so far, he knew that had consequences on the crew's mood, and considering how explosive they were, he wouldn't be surprised if soon simple quarrels could go into full brawls, especially between the Marines. Being trained to fight all the time had its downsides.

He was wondering what kinds of activities he could create to keep them busy when Penny called him.

" _Sir, your presence is requested on the bridge."_ He stopped running and realized he wasted an hour there, so they had found something interesting, or so he hoped. Most of the times it was just someone needing him to end some dispute, so he would welcome any change to that routine.

"Troubles, Penny?" He asked as he started drying himself with a towel and walked to the stall to change back into the uniform.

" _It is about the secondary mission."_

…

"Aliens?Really?" Weiss questioned as they had a briefing meeting at the docking bay.

"Not really, really. What they found is that the smaller moon have some tunnels, and the evidence suggests it MIGHT be artificially made." Jaune explained to the five marines, all of them with their _Hunter_ armor in place.

Ruby wore a black one with red details, and carried a high-powered long range sniper rifle. That was also a scythe, and Jaune decided to never, ever question a Marine about their choices on weapons. She also wore a passive optical camouflage system over it, and to untrained eyes looked like a cape, but when still it blended with the surroundings. Weiss armor was white with blue details, the Schnee ice crystal symbol on the left shoulder. Her weapon was a DMR that fired different types of dust. Blake armor was mostly black, but it had some white stripes. They weren't actually stripes, but active optical camouflage. Not only she could blend on the surroundings while still, but even in movement, making it more effective than Ruby's system. She carried a PDW equipped with grappling hooks. Last were Yang and her bright yellow armor with flames painted on it. The oversized gauntlets where actually high powered cannons and they could break solid rock like it was eggshells. He already knew Pyrrha's loadout.

"Yet you want us to go there and search for little green men?" Weiss asked again.

"Again, not really. There is very little possibility you will find little men of any color there, all we need is some close-up scans of those tunnels. They are too perfectly cylindrical and do some weird curves around. But the _Nagato's_ sensors can't go deep on them due to the fact that moon is made almost all of iron."

"Come on, Weiss, the other day you were complaining of nothing to do. We just go, take some pictures and come back for the afternoon movie!" Ruby said in a cheery tone as she toyed with her helmet.

"Why are we even doing this? Why it does matter if they exist or not?" Weiss questioned again, still unwilling to go in what she considered a goose chase.

"Because if there are aliens somewhere, sooner or later we might have to do a contact, so better be prepared." Jaune finished the issue. "Now, fireteam RWBY and Major Nikos will be delivered by bullhead, so no joking around, helmsman Vasilias." Jaune said to his pilot, and he just gave his brightest smile back.

"Come on, skipper, I am an awesome pilot."

"That have crashed three times, all trying to, and I quote, 'impress some skirt walking around'. I am serious, helmsman, I want my Marines and my bullhead back, or else I leave you in the planet covered in acid ad deadly clouds." If they learned one thing already it was Jaune really liked to threaten them around and those were always big ones. "Major, you will be on command once you land."

"Captain, while I am the highest ranked, I believe Captain Rose have more experience, so I would believe she is the better choice for leading the team." Jaune looked at the two redheads and wondered for a bit. What Pyrrha said was true, so he decided to follow her advice on that one.

"Very well, you are leading, Rubes. Now, hopefully nothing will happen, but just to be sure, here some ground rules. You won't split to cover more ground. You won't go check some weird lights and/or sound alone, nor split the group for that. You won't stick your face close to weird stuff; stick your guns if you need to. If you get hurt or feel weird it IS something and you will report. And absolutely nothing unknown goes back to this ship, no matter what you think of it. Actually, just don't touch anything or let anything touch you… Especially the helmsman." Jaune stated, and they chuckled a little, even Neptune.

"You have being watching too much old movies, skipper." Yang teased, but Jaune was serious.

"And they are probably good advice. Now, be safe, Marines, and carry on." As the five Marines were finishing their preparations, Penny approached the captain with a shy but pleading look.

"Captain… I want to go with the Marines. I am combat ready." Jaune evaluated the request for a moment. With only fifteen people on the crew, if he added Penny he would send half of them to that mission and that prospect wasn't appealing. Besides, he still was unsure if the artificial girl could perform well together with the others in a dangerous situation.

"I don't think so, Penny." He could see the sadness in her as she looked downwards. "But, I want you to be ready to deploy if something happens and they got in need of rescue. So you are to be on standby with the Commander and Velvet, OK?"

"Aye aye captain!" She said with a smile.

…

"Does the _Nagato_ look different to anyone else?" Ruby asked as the bullhead left the ship towards the moon. The ship fully deployed its weaponry, and she finally could see all the anti-aircraft units and the main cannons.

"It is the battle ready mode. The captain is probably prepared to give us cover if needed." Pyrrha explained as the bullhead moved in near silence.

"So cool! I want to see it in battle!" Ruby said with a childish glee in her eyes. Weapons were still her favorite topic no matter where she was.

"You better focus on this mission, Rubes. I want to perform well enough to please the captain." Weiss scoffed, and Ruby would have showed her tongue to her if she wasn't wearing her helmet.

"OK girls, I am positioning us over the hole. The gravity is 70 times lower than that on the Nagato, so it is almost as none. Since the whole moon is iron, you better use your magnetic boots. I will stay around, but mostly it is your show." Neptune said as he positioned the bullhead a hundred meters from the hole in question.

The side door opened, and the five girls jumped in space, the faint gravity of the moon doing the job of pushing them in. They landed at the edge of the perfect circular hole and looked down it, but even with their lights they couldn't see the bottom, only the pitch blackness of the iron walls, their sensors detecting nothing unusual.

"Well, time to shine. Blake, Pyrrha, you are pointers. Then Weiss, me and Yang covering our backs." Ruby ordered, and they proceeded to enter the hole as commanded. The magnetic boots working as a charm, they entered weapons ready.

The hole was large, and the walls perfectly smooth and they wondered what could have caused it, while some of them trying to push the idea that was made by aliens aside. They walked for fifteen minutes before the tunnel made a sudden turn to the left, in a closed angle. Blake stopped and rolled a motion sensor, the device not picking any signs, and they resumed walking for another fifteen minutes before the tunnel connecting with another in a perfect 90º degree angle. This time it was Yang that spoke.

"OK, can we all agree there is no way this was done by geological activity?"

"And aliens are your explanation?" Weiss questioned with annoyance in her voice.

"Weiss, do you have any explanation for those tunnels that isn't aliens?"

"Well…" She didn't, but she stopped talking when they felt vibrations. They passed suddenly, and they wondered if it was a small moonquake.

"Look, I see some light…" Blake said, pointing to the right. A faint glow could be seen a few dozen meters from where they were, and Ruby signalized them to go there. The small distance took a long time to be completed as they walked with their weapons ready, and stopping because of any shadow they saw. They finally arrived in yet another perpendicular tunnel, and a good quantity of Dust crystals laid there, in a variety of colors.

"Oh, jackpot!" Yang said as she was about to take when but Ruby held her shoulder. "What, it is just Dust!"

"The captain said to not touch anything!" Ruby shout whispered. Her for once believed in aliens, and that they were all there to eat their faces.

"OK, those crystals can't be here." Weiss said and they turned towards here. "Unrefined dust crystals aren't perfectly cut in the same size and format. Something refined those and I would rather not meet whatever did."

"Now you believe in aliens?" Blake deadpanned, and Weiss groaned.

"Well, our mission just said to discover if those tunnels are artificial, and we just did it…" Pyrrha said, as uncomfortable with that situation as everyone else.

"Agreed. Marines, let's…" Ruby was about to order but the motion sensors started picking up signal, and the ground shook lightly. They immediately formed a circle and waited. It was at that moment that they saw it for the first time.

The wall at their left started glowing, first red, then yellow and finally white when something sucked the melted iron off. A machine came out of it, as wide as Ruby was tall, and as long as three bullheads. It was mostly a copper color, and moved to take the Dust crystals. It apparently floated over the ground, maybe using a magnetic system polar opposite as how they were gluing themselves on the floor. The machine finished taking the crystal and turned around to them, a red laser scanned the group.

Then it activated three plasma cutters, and they spun around its mouth so fast that created a circle of white plasma. For some reason the Marines assumed it was pissed with the intruders and attacked them like a big snake. That could melt iron. The Marines all were able to escape the first attack, and the worm-machine turned in itself to strike back, showing a speed and precision unexpected for something its size. But they were in a low gravity environment and all, and Ruby decided to take advantage of this fact too.

"Everyone, turn down the magnetic boots in 90%! Let's circle this thing! Yang, try to make it hold in the same position!"

"On my way!" Yang cheered as she jumped on the wall and using the low gravity threw herself with everything against the side of the weird machine, using her cannon-gauntlet to make a dent on its side. Then using the powerful activators in her arms and hands she grabbed its 'tail' and kept it still.

"Pyrrha! Weiss! Try to turn its mouth off!"

Weiss used her weapon charged with ice Dust rounds, firing on the edges of the opening where the plasma cutters were rolling. The ice melted almost instantly, so she changed to lightning rounds, the discharge making the worm jump on itself and the plasma cutters fail. Pyrrha used the opportunity to shoot the first two, but after that the worm made a sudden movement, tossing Yang off its 'tail' and against a wall. Blake got to her aid and the creature rushed forward, forcing Weiss and Pyrrha out of the way. Ruby stood her ground and activated the 'reaper mode' of her rifle.

"You are not the only one with a plasma cutter, pal!" She shouted; ignoring the fact the thing couldn't hear her.

The rifle turned into its scythe form, and the blade glow white as it generated plasma. Using the low gravity environment, the red Marine jumped and twirled in the air, her blade connecting to the side of the worm and opening it with ease. As she finished the maneuver, she landed at the ground and turned her scythe off, the machine floating for a while before turning off and spilling Dust crystals from its open side.

"Well, I think this is proof enough that aliens are a thing." Blake said as they regrouped. "I think a lot of people will have to apologize to Dr. Oobleck."

"At least we did something. I think we won't get bored in this mission after all." Yang added, but they couldn't see the big grin she had on her face.

"Better we return to the ship, we accomplished our mission. Ugh, the iron is interfering with external comm. I am surprised this thing is actually so small considering the size of this tunnel." Ruby commented, and everyone looked at her. "What?"

"You jinxed us. You jinxed us so badly, little sister." Yang commented, and if wasn't for the helmet they would see their leader's shocked expression.

"I did not!" The smaller girl protested.

"You so did. So, better we started walking before… Crap."

The motion sensors fired like crazy, and the ground shook heavily, they turned back to see the opposite side of the T-section they were in glow, this time as big as the tunnel they were inside, and as the melted iron was sucked away, they saw a way too big worm machine there, almost as it was looking at them. The machine scanned them, then the one they destroyed.

"Do you think mama worm there is angry we killed baby worm?" Yang asked, and the giant machine activated its plasma cutters again.

"What do you think you dolt!" Weiss yelled over the radio.

"Grenades!" Ruby ordered, and they threw the blast grenades at the 'mouth' of the mining machine. The explosions made it stop moving for a bit. "Run! Blake, try to get to Neptune, we need extraction ASAP!"

"Too much interference, we need to go back to the entrance!" Blake said as they ran; the machine soon on their tracks. They made a close turn on the previous intersection but the worn just rushed straight. "At least that thing doesn't seem to be smart!"

They soon were close to the entrance, and for a split second they believed they were safe.

Until the worm blocked the way out, its massive body blocking the sight of the exit as it emerged from the hole it just made in the top of the tunnel, curving itself to fill the passage. They all started firing against it as it prepared to rush on them, but it just stopped, as if it was struggling to move forward. The Marines stared at it in doubt for a few seconds before the radio started to crackle.

" _Yo! What the hell am I fishing here?"_ It was Neptune, which used the bullhead's grappling hooks to trap the machine.

"Neptune! It is some type of mining equipment hell bent in mining Marines!" Ruby answered.

" _Well, you better kill it! I can't hold it forever!"_ He yelled back as the worm was indeed inching forward.

"Marines! Fire at will! Use everything you have!" Ruby ordered and they followed suit, firing the most damaging rounds they had for a minute or so before the enemy stopped functioning and was fished out of the hole by the bullhead. When they finally got out of the hole, they finally saw how big the thing was. It could barely fill inside the docking bay of the _Nagato,_ and that was if they rolled it up like string.

"That is one big worm. Imagine the size of the fish we can get with it, eh?" Yang joked, but nobody reacted. "Big worm, big fish! Come on! If I discover you all muted me again I will be pissed!" They ignored the threat because they indeed muted her.

"Neptune, come get us. I had enough of those things… OH COME ON!" Ruby shouted as the motion sensors got mad. Out of the moon's ground came a worm three times bigger than the previous one, hovering dangerous above the Marines. Its plasma cutters shone brightly as the 'mouth' pointed towards them. But it soon got hit by two blue rounds, breaking it to pieces that slowly fell around, together with the dust crystals it carried. The marines turned around to see that the _Nagato_ fired against it.

" _Did you all see that? Please tell me you filmed it! My first kill with this ship!"_ The voice of Coco filled the radio.

"WHAT IF YOU MISSED YOU DUMBASS!?" Weiss yelled, but they only heard Coco laughing.

" _Me? Missing? Pffft."_

" _Enough of that you two. Neptune, take my Marines back before we got more of those things. Glad you are all unharmed."_ Jaune assumed the radio, and the bullhead hovered close to the soldiers.

…

"So, what you can tell me, Ren?" Jaune asked as the two engineers floated outside the _Nagato_ , examining the mining worm Neptune fished out of the moon.

" _This would be easier if we could do it inside_." Ren answered by radio, as he used a portable device to examine the carcass.

"Ren, that thing is NOT coming inside my ship. It eats metal, and last I checked the _Nagato_ is like 80% metal."

"Actually, 68.96% metal." Penny interceded but the captain ignored the remark.

" _At least ask Coco to stop pointing all the weapons at us. I am not comfortably that your specific instructions were 'if it even thinking of squirming, send it to hell_.'" Ren asked, and Jaune and Coco suppressed a chuckle. The cannons kept aimed at the machine.

" _Stop being dramatic Renny. This thing is beyond dead. I wish I could play whack'a'mole with them too_." Nora said as she messed around the carcass, removing from it big quantities of Dust crystals. " _This thing had being busy_."

"Ok, you two, what you can tell me about this thing?" Jaune asked.

" _Well, the Marines did a good job destroying its computer, I can't recover anything from the software and apparently this thing doesn't have a black box we can check."_ Ren pondered _. "I can always check the ones back at the moon."_

"No one is going back there. I don't know how many is infesting that place _."_ Jaune said, and Ren sighed. It meant he had nothing more to add. "Nora?"

" _Oh, this thing is clever! It uses electromagnetism to both navigate the tunnels it makes as well as to separate the molten iron form dust! This one was full, so I think they probably leave behind older crystals. I wonder how the owners of this thing unload them. Do you think they have big ships like ours? That they are green? Maybe they are just like us but with goatees!"_

"Nora, anything we can use ourselves or that clue us on who built it?" Jaune patiently asked, now used to his friend's way of sidetracking.

" _Nah. It is all tech we have. At least it means we aren't going to be overwhelmed if they decide to fight._ " The captain agreed those were indeed good news.

"The Dust crystals. Anything unusual about them?"

" _They are perfect pure crystals, sir_." Ren answered.

"I am sending the bullhead to bring you two back. We are taking every ounce of Dust this thing have for us. Once we are all set we are going to the next jump point ASAP. I don't want to be here if the owners of that thing decide to come check their toys." Jaune concluded, and sighed in worry, knowing very well that confirming so soon alien life, and advanced ones at that, made the mission more dangerous than before. "Commander, I will go check the Marines, bridge is yours. Coco, if anything pops out that moon, blew it up. Diplomacy be damned."

"Aye aye, skipper!" Coco said cheery as Jaune left the bridge. "I love this ship! Those cannons are my new favorite things ever! And I am the first person to ever fire them against an alien thing!"

"Sergeant Adel, calm down. I would rather not go around blowing up stuff as we go." Glynda said, but Coco was just begging for something to appear so she could fire again.

…

Jaune entered the quarters and almost had a heart attack, using all his willpower to not show it externally. The five girls had just finished bathing, and were all with wet hair and wearing shorts and t-shirts, too tight in his opinion, especially Yang. They noticed him and stood up.

"At ease, Marines. I am here to say you performed above expectations when confronted with an unknown threat, and that I am glad you are all well." He said, and the girls relaxed, but Yang made sure to wink at him. He tried to ignore it. "Anyway, I am putting in the ship's log a commendation for all of you. Not much considering we are so far from home that we would be retired till they call us back."

"Captain, you don't seem too shocked about contacting alien technology." Pyrrha wondered, and Jaune shrugged.

"It was expected we would find something. Maybe the people that created that thing don't even exist anymore. Besides, I think it is worth mentioning now, but while our primary objective is finding a suitable planet to live, our secondary mission is to find any clue if the creatures of Grimm are of alien origin." The girls looked at each other before looking back at the captain.

"Oobleck's theory? Are we really giving ears to that?" Weiss said displeased.

"We just fought a giant space worm made of metal and hate. I think Oobleck's theory have some credibility now." Blake answered, and Weiss couldn't retort it. "Any idea on who made it?"

"No, but they seem to like Dust as much as us. Nora said we are taking back half a ton of it, five times more dust than we used to get here. So, congratulations on the job well done, Marines." Jaune finished and was about to go out if Yang didn't grabbed his arm.

"You know, skipper, wearing those armors really made my shoulders sore, and I was wondering if someone with big hands as you would be good at massages?" She said with a sultry voice, but Pyrrha put her hands on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, captain, I will give Lt. Xiao Long her massage. Right, Lieutenant?" The redhead had a mean smile on her face.

"I don't want to be a Major trouble, Major." Yang snickered, and everyone groaned. "Tough crowd."

"I will let you girls have some privacy. Just relax… and behave." He said the last part in a stern tone as he left.

"Yang, didn't we already talk about flirting with the skipper?" Ruby said in an exasperate tone that didn't fit her tiny frame. It was more adorable than menacing.

"Come on, we are staying in this ship for who knows for Xiao Long?" They answered by throwing their pillows at the blonde girl.


	6. Not a Boring Day

"We are at the jumping point, ready to go to the Bear system... who came up with those names?" Neptune wondered as he waited the next order. "Anyway, it will be a longer jump, fifteen minutes. You know, considering how close those systems are; I am surprised the aliens didn't found us first."

"If Oobleck's theory is correct, they found us already and decided we needed a fucking Grimm infestation. Assholes." Sun commented as his tail moved around the back of his sit in annoyance.

"Or they have troubles of their own to concern themselves with us. Maybe they are too advanced to think of us as worth talking to." Jaune theorized, hoping to be any of those instead of 'they hate us and want us dead'.

"Then they are arrogant assholes. Do you think we will find them soon, skipper?" Coco asked as she stretched in her chair. Having nothing to shoot at put her in a bad mood.

"If we do, no shooting them at the face on first sight, Coco. At least not until the third date." They laughed, though Glynda left out her usual sigh over the fact they could be so childish. "Anyway… Captain speaking, we are going to warp, yay! So, remember to strap things you don't want to float around, this will be a longer trip. Drinks and food won't be served during this flight, complains should be directed to Lt. Schnee to be ignored. In case of emergency we are utterly doomed. Thanks for flying _Nagato_ Spacy, your best choice for dangerous trips around the galaxy."

"Captain Arc, do you really have to say those things? Lt. Schnee already gave a formal complain to me." Glynda said in exasperation as she fixed her small glasses. Jaune chuckled, and understood that she would be like that, but they were all young, and all risking their lives, so he deemed necessary to make the mood as light as possible.

"You need to lighten up too, Commander. We will be inside this ship for a few years if we are lucky, so no need to be formal all the time."

"Well, I do have my return party planed for when we get back in three years. You are invited too, captain." Neptune said as he gave one of his bright smiles, but Jaune looked at him curiously.

"Helmsman, are you aware that this trip have no end date, right? We will keep travelling till we accomplish our objective or deem it impossible." He spoke, and Neptune laughed.

"Funny one, captain, but I had read the mission statement. We aren't going anywhere as far as three years."

"That means that we won't go anywhere that would take more than three years IN warp drive to reach. This is our range, not mission duration. We have at least a thousand systems to check." Jaune complemented, and Neptune stopped laughing, glaring at his friend.

"SUN!"

"What?! It was your idea to come here, since, and I quote, 'there is way too many people angry with us, and besides, we might bang some hot alien chicks if we play our cards right.'" The Faunus boy defended himself. Jaune made a mental note to not let his helmsman near alien females, especially pretty ones. It was both for his and their safety.

"Well, too late to return now, helmsman. Let's get this ship to its next stop. Engage."

Neptune left out one last groan of lament before activating the warp, and again the gravity turned off, the ship was filled in an eerie glow and a beautiful singing female voice could be heard. As the first minute of travel passed and none of those phenomenons subsided, the captain turned to Penny.

"Penny, are you listening to this singing too?" He asked, but received no answer, something unusual with the AI. He turned around to see her slightly floating by his side, her eyes focused to the front of the ship, but lifeless. He took out of the command chair and touched her, to no reaction whatsoever. "Ren, something is wrong with Penny!"

Ren immediately jumped of his seat and approached the artificial girl, the rest of the crew focused on his actions. He opened a small panel on the back of her neck and connected his portable diagnosis device. He spent the next few minutes watching the screen, before returning to his seat and messing with some of the screens there. After a minute of silence he finally spoke.

"Well, it seems the positronic system on her cores is resonating with the warp funnel we are in, making it going in a dormant mode. She is fine, as it is her other core on the ship. Once we leave the warp, she will probably don't even realize she was offline." He said, and everyone sighed relieved.

"Can you fix this? I would rather have my AI working on the longer travels." The captain asked, and Ren wondered for a second.

"Well, Nora might come up with something. I will make sure it is practical and not dangerous." The black haired boy stated, and Jaune nodded.

"You two and Penny work on that as soon as we got out of warp. Now, about this singing…"

"What singing?" Ren wondered, and everyone stared at the captain, and he felt way to self-conscious now as he became the center of attention.

"None of you are hearing a female voice singing? I hear it every time we go into warp." He explained, decided to not let the crew wonder things by themselves. It would be worse if…

"That is our captain, attracting women even in the subspace!" Sun said, making him groan while Neptune and Coco laughed.

"None of us have heard any voices. Are you sure you are alright, captain?" Glynda asked, more concerned with his wellbeing than anything else.

"I will talk with Doc once we got out of warp. Maybe Penny is not the only one being affected by the subspace. I wonder how the Marines are doing right now."

…

"WEISS, AS YOUR CAPTAIN I AM ORDERING YOU TO STOP TRYING TO KILL MY SISTER!" Ruby yelled as a pissed off heiress was trying to strangle the blonde, a series of delicate panties and bras flying around them.

"Just one more minute, captain, and I will be finished!" Weiss answered. She was surprisingly strong when angered, and considering angry was her usual state, they were surprised she wasn't causing more damage. Pyrrha and Velvet grabbed the small girl and pushed her off Yang, as the blonde recovered her breath.

"How some feather weight like you can have such a grip?" Yang asked as she floated and breathed.

"I am a Marine too, you hooligan! And that is what you deserve by grabbing my underwear bag and tossing it around yelling 'panties bomb'!" Weiss answered as she started to grab her underwear back and putting on the bag.

"Where do you found those? They are adorable!" Velvet asked, a little shyly. Quality clothing was rare at the colonies, considering their little resources. Frilly underwear like what Weiss had was even rarer.

"Money can get you everything you need if you have enough. Those are handmade." The white haired Marine answered with no little pride in her voice.

"Those look uncomfortable with the environmental suits, not alone the _Hunter_ armor. That is why I use Renny's boxers." Nora commented with a small bra on her hands, and they all stared at her in surprise.

"You… wear Ren's underwear?" Pyrrha asked, and Nora giggled, removing her suit and showing a sports bra provided by the Army and the grey male boxers. "Yep, the Army doesn't allow us to use underwear designed to a different gender, so I traded the panties for some pancakes and Renny always gimme a pair of boxers when we get new clothes. His clothes last a lot longer than most since he takes great care of it, but he made the requests anyway so I can have some."

"That was… unexpected…" Weiss said, trying to not imagine Ren wearing Nora's panties. And failing.

"It provides great space and is comfortable as hell." Nora smirked as she shook her hips a little.

"Anyway… Yang, touch my things again and I will convert your bras into ammo pouches!" Weiss threatened as she grabbed the bra from Nora's hands, but the blonde just smirked.

"That will be a lot of ammo. Besides, maybe the skipper likes to see them giggle." She said as she puffed her chest out, making her large bosom showing more. Weiss face contorted in disgust while everyone else but Nora blushed.

"YANG! Stop trying to get the captain in your panties!" Ruby yelled, making everyone blush harder.

"Come on, he is cute! And he is nice to boot! Though maybe he doesn't like boobs that much? I saw him looking at the bunny's butt once." Velvet stared at them as they stared back, putting her hands on her butt like trying to hide it, her bunny ears up in alertness.

"T-the c-captain would n-never!" She yelled, but it sounded more like a cute shriek.

"Come on, Vel! You are always swinging it as you walk; even I have checked your butt once." Yang said with a wink, making the bunny girl blush so hard she was red from toes to head.

"That is it! I will make sure the skipper give you some appropriated punishment!" Weiss yelled again, making an indignant pose, but Yang laughed and opened her jacket, showing cleavage.

"Hmm, I wonder if he will slap me." The blonde answered playfully, licking her full lips to make her point. "Besides, you are just jealous because you don't have curves to show the captain, even Ruby have more than you."

"I AM NOT PLAIN!" Weiss and Ruby yelled at the same time, and as they kept arguing, Pyrrha stared at herself, wondering if Jaune would like a more fit body like hers. She would be lying if she said she didn't have more than a passing interest on the blonde. She was so focused on her own thoughts that she didn't noticed when Yang approached her, grabbing her breasts from behind.

"KYAAAA! YANG!" She yelled as the blonde fondled her, the two girls floating as Pyrrha flailed her legs and tried to get Yang's hands of her chest.

"Thinking of blondes? But maybe the one who doesn't have breasts. And I might say, mama these are big too! Let me check yours, Vel!"

The Faunus girl meeped as Yang let go of Pyrrha's and tried to grab her, but Ruby and Weiss held the overly excited blonde back, with Pyrrha getting between the blonde and the bunny, the later clinging on her friend's back.

" _Attention crew, leaving warp in fifteen seconds, please be prepared_." The voice of Glynda echoed over the ship.

"You all know that once we got out of warp, the gravity will return, right?" Blake deadpanned, and the five girls perceived they were floating over each other. They were about to do something when the warp stopped, and they fell over each other with a loud thud as the gravity returned.

"I hate you all…" Weiss said as she tried to get from under everyone.

" _Sgt. Valkyrie, your presence is required at the engineering ASAP_." Glynda's voice echoed again.

"Coming!" She smiled and rushed out of the door.

"Did she just left in her underwear?" Blake asked as they noticed Nora's uniform on the floor. Pyrrha grabbed it and ran after her friend.

"Nora! Wait!"

 _Not a single moment of boredom_ , Blake thought as she resumed reading the book in her scroll.

…

"Well, I can't find anything wrong with you physically, Jauney, and you don't show any changes on your brain waves. I wonder…." Dr. Verd put a hand on her chin as she looked at the young captain, her grey dog ears moving a little.

"Come on, Doc, if it is something that might interfere with my obligations as captain, I need to know." Jaune asked as he fixed his jacket.

"Maybe you are just working too much. I mean, since you got this position, you didn't took a single day off."

"You talk like we have plenty of things to do in this ship." Jaune retorted, but the doctor used her serious face.

"You do. You cook, you train with Pyrrha, you keep the Marines under control, listen to Glyn's complains about the crew, make plans for every eventuality, teach Penny on how to human, keep Nora of exploding the ship, and those are just the ones I can remember right now. Jauney, you need to do something that isn't remotely related to the job. Blake read novels, for example, Sun and Neptune are in an all-out prank war with each other, Velvet is writing a novel and I think Ren is running a secret bookmaking ring."

"What they would even bet? When Weiss will murder Yang? And what they are using as wager?"

"I think there is one about that one, yes, and they bet duties and personal items. It is all to take the mind of the work and avoid boredom. Jaune, you need some hobby, or maybe a girlfriend or two."

"I will take a hobby, thank you. I am pretty sure no one is interested in a wimp of a captain like me." Jaune said with a chuckle, and the doctor resumed her poker face, her grey eyes cast upon the young captain.

"Very well, I will tell Pyrrha to make sure you take at least one hour per day to do something not job related. And you will take the rest of the day off. And Jauney, I think you are underestimating yourself. You have many qualities people would find attractive."

"Nah. I am pretty sure Yang is messing with me, and Pyrrha is just nice." He said with a smirk, and the doctor left a small giggle out.

"Very well, now go relax a little." With that Jaune left the room, and the doctor called Ren with a scroll. "Change my bet, Mr. Lie. I bet those girls will just jump at him in… a month."

…

"This tastes like paper…" Ruby said as she ate a pancake made by Sun. Only Jaune, Sun and Velvet knew how to properly cook, and only Jaune could make the military rations tastes like food.

"Hey, then you shall learn how to cook." Sun said as he also forced himself into the pancakes, admitting they just tasted as plain as possible. "Not everyone have that weird talent to transform whatever this stuff is made of into fancy food."

"She can't, the only time she was allowed to cook she sent half of our unit to the hospital. And not even think of Yang. She literally destroyed the kitchen." Weiss calmly stated as she also forced herself to eat. After getting used to Jaune's food, eating the usual food was simple disgusting.

"You know, I wonder how real food tastes. I heard that before the colonies people ate muscles from dead animals and sprouts from plants." Ruby asked, and they wondered how that tasted, considering their food tried to mimic those old ones.

"Yeah, the only real food we ever tasted was breastmilk. I heard some rich people even pay for it." They all looked at Weiss after Yang left that comment out.

"I NEVER DID THAT!" She protested immediately.

"Eeeewwww…" Ruby said as she ate a cookie to wash down the pancake and the idea of adult people drinking breast milk.

"Where's our might leader by the way? I know he would love to talk about my breasts." Yang smirked as she played with her golden mane, and Ruby and Weiss groaned.

"Doc said he needed a day off and Pyrrha is making sure he is doing it." Sun explained, and Yang left as soon as he said that. "Hey, come back! There is still food on your plate and you know it is against regulations to do that!"

"Forget it, Sun. Once Yang decides she wants something, she will get it." Blake said from over her scroll. "I wonder what exactly the Captain and the Major are doing now."

…

"A guitar?" Pyrrha wondered as Jaune finished assembling the instrument, a six string guitar, or at least something like it. It was basically just the arm, the strings and a small padded attachment to rest the instrument on his leg.

"Yeah, mom always thought that everyone should learn music. Something about keeping a sharp mind." Jaune said as he started to tune the guitar.

"Are you any good?" Pyrrha wondered before blushing as she realized she might have hurt the blonde man's feelings. She instinctively put her ponytail in front of her face.

"I was part of the Spacy band, but you usually don't get noticed when you are playing with several others and usually classical music or military hymns. I performed on the Arena once with some girl from the Army that was pretty famous back them." He explained with his usual smile, making Pyrrha relax and cast her emerald eyes on the instrument. "I should check on Penny, I worry leaving her to Nora…"

"Captain, you are here to relax and I will make sure you will. I am sure Ren can keep Nora under control."

…

"Nora, no."

"Nora yes!" The energetic girl yelled as she grabbed a chainsaw used to do rescue operation and was intended in making it Penny's new left arm. The artificial girl found that all too entertaining.

…

"Come on, play something for me!" Pyrrha demanded, sitting by his side.

"Well, let's try this one, it is very old."

 _Spaceman out here on my own, I am alone  
In solitude I'm free, through space I roam  
There's no world I've ever known  
This place is my home, in this space, which I roam  
Alone on my own_

 _Every world I pass by and every moon I see  
And the stars up in the sky they're waiting there for me  
What I like most of all, where I feel at home  
Sailing through this white universe traveling alone_

 _Spaceman out here on my own. I am alone  
In solitude I'm free, through space I roam  
Will my dreams yet come to be, will they come to me  
From my pain I'll be free, from this world I will flee_

 _Every world I pass by and every moon I see  
And the stars up in the sky, they are waiting there for me  
But what I like most of all, and where I feel at home  
Sailing through this white universe traveling alone_

 _Every world I pass by and every moon I see  
And the stars up in the sky, they're waiting there for me  
What I like most of all and where I feel at home  
Sailing through this white universe traveling alone_

Pyrrha had to hold some tears back, and if she was just a little infatuated with the blonde captain before, she just crushed really hard on him. She was almost saying to him how she felt but held back, remembering their situation, ranks and the mission, all that weighted on her heart, and she feared she would only cause trouble to the captain.

"Woah, skipper. I am impressed." They turned to see Yang at the door of the training room. Pyrrha blamed herself for not allowing Jaune to take her to his quarters now. "I want to be serenaded too."

"A… what? No! I certainly would choose another song if that was the intention, which wasn't!" He protested, and Pyrrha felt a pang of sadness. She knew he said that to avoid a misunderstanding with the crew, yet she actually wanted to feel what was like to be courted, honestly courted, at least, not just people wanting a ride on her fame.

"Anyway, I heard you took a day off to relax, and yours truly want to help. I know a few things we can do that will relax you." The blonde said with a wink and bended a little, giving him a good showing of her cleavage, and Jaune blushed a little. Pyrrha noticed that and her face changed to that of annoyance.

"Thanks, Lieutenant, but I am pretty sure your idea of relaxing is not the same as the captain." Pyrrha answered defensively as she gently hold his arm. Yang noticed the action and smirked, noticing she wasn't the only one after the blonde man.

"Oh, I don't know, Major. Maybe we should let the boss man here decide." Yang answered, and Jaune could see sparks between them, for reasons he was oblivious to.

"I think I should really check Nora…" Pyrrha and Yang held him in place. He sighed and wondered if he really would be able to relax and hoped no one else would start acting weird around him.

…

"You should go for it. He looks like a decent dude, and his sisters are Faunus, so he is not a racist and I don't think he is one of those with Faunus fetish." Coco said to Velvet as the bunny blushed terrible, and covered her eyes with her ears. She was thankful the two were the only ones at the bridge at that moment.

"But we barely know each other! And he is younger than me and my superior officer and a human and…"

"And nothing! He looks cool, you are a cutie and you can use the excuse of getting to know him better to… well, know him better. Besides, I think half the Marines have the hots for him." Coco completed as she fixed her sunglasses. "I am surprised there are not more fistfights around here."

…

"Why are you two doing this again?" Jaune asked as Pyrrha and Yang put boxing gloves and were about to spar.

"Just enjoy the show, skipper. It is not every day you have two beautiful girls doing a demonstration for you." Yang answered as she stretched, making sure to aim her 'assets' towards the captain.

"You said once you wanted to see me compete one of those days. So, since the Lieutenant so graciously offered, we will give you an appetizer." Pyrrha answered, getting ready to fight, and not noticing she also was showing off to him. "Mind giving the sign?"

"Uh… Fight?" Jaune said, wondering if Ren was having a better luck with the girls he was with.

…

"Nora, no."

"Nora yes!" She answered as she grabbed a jetpack to build it inside Penny.

"Sergeant Valkyrie has some interesting ideas." The AI answered with a smile, finding that all very entertaining.

…

"Sun, I think this is a bad idea." Neptune stated as they prepared a small trap in front of Jaune's room. It would drop some type of green paint they made with the food stuff on him.

"Come on, we have pranked all of our COs before. And we only got caught by half of them." Sun defended as he kept fixing the trap. "Besides, he is a cool guy; it is not like he will toss us off the ship."

"He probably wouldn't. Me, on the other hand…" They turned around to see Glynda standing behind them, a displeased face. They tried to run away but instead ran into each other, the trap exploding and covering the duo in green paint. "Now, if you too would follow me to the brigs…"

…

"Well, I do admit this was entertaining, but I don't intend to put my crew against each other for fun." Jaune said as he gave Pyrrha and Yang bottles of water as the two Marines panted with their backs against one another. "You two fought well."

"Indeed. I am glad you weren't competing at the tournaments, Yang. I am pretty sure I wouldn't have as many championships with you there." Pyrrha praised her rival, and Yang left a content sigh as she drank the cold water.

"And I want to punch the dickheads in the dick heads for not allowing you on the ground. You are not just talk; you know how to the deliver a Major punch." Jaune and Pyrrha left a groan out. "You know, how about popcorn and a movie? I am pretty sure that will work better."

"I am in." Pyrrha and Jaune said, and the three laughed.

"I will just let the Commander take care of everything. I am really feeling better now." He said as he helped the two girls up.

…

"Lt. Lie, you better have a good explanation for this." Glynda watched a knocked out Nora on the floor with her hair all up, as she murmured something about sloths.

"Nora tried to add a taser to Penny. And she tasered herself while messing with it." Ren explained calmly, and the Commander sighed hard at that. "I already have uninstalled it, but the good news is we finally found a way to avoid Penny to shut down during the warp."

"Next time, try to do it without knocking yourselves out, Lieutenant." Ren nodded and he helped Penny to carry the unconscious Nora to the med bay. "I think I should be glad Ruby and Weiss didn't do anything today.

…

"Ruby, NO!"

"Ruby yes! Come on, Weiss, I just want to cook some pancakes for the captain. He works too hard for all of us."

"Ruby, you don't cook as much as you create weapons of mass destruction! If we could feed Grimm with your food we wouldn't be here!"

"That, was mean. And I am your superior officer, so help me cook something!" Ruby said as she put an apron.

"We are going to martial court. And for cooking!" Weiss answered as she put an apron too.

One thing was clear, there wasn't going to have a boring day in the _Nagato_.


	7. Starting the Fire

"There are only three planets in the Bear system, and all of them are gaseous giants. On the other hand, there are more than fifty moons spread between them, and all of them are in the life zone of the system. The chances of finding one of interest are quite high." Velvet explained at the bridge, as the image of the planets was on screen. Jaune considered the information as he tapped in the armrest of his chair.

"Any signs of possible life?" He asked the bunny girl, and she shook her head slightly, her cute ears swaying around, making her serious posture quite adorable.

"Not from here, at least. No signs of any artificial structure yet." She explained as she checked the information on her scroll.

"Very well, we start with the moons closest to the star and we go back from there. Are Ruby and Weiss still sick?" He turned to Glynda, and the Commander sighed as she checked her own scroll.

"Yes, they are. I don't even know how they could get sick from eating pancakes." She wondered as she fixed her glasses.

"Sis had the tendency of mixing things that she think will add flavor to stuff, and those things don't mix well together, most of the time." Yang explained awkwardly as she was piloting the ship since Neptune and Sun were still on the brigs.

"I am just glad they tasted it first instead of giving that to us. Commander, get Sun and Neptune out of the brigs, staying for a day covered in that green gooey might have be enough to teach them a lesson. Inform Major Nikos she will lead the next excursion team if needed and that Velvet and Penny will fill in for the two cooks." He said, and Penny gave a small jump of happiness, while Velvet looked a little worried.

"C-captain, are you s-sure you should send me instead of Coco?" Velvet wondered, and Jaune stared at her, making her blush a little and instinctively hide behind her scroll, just her chocolate eyes over it. Jaune felt that was adorable and smiled, making the bunny relaxing a little.

"I know you are fully capable as a Marine too, Staff Sergeant, and your knowledge can be useful. OK, everyone, we are in yellow alert, you all got prepared for anything." Jaune finished as he pressed the button on his armrest.

…

"Jackpot!" Neptune celebrated as they orbited one of the moons of Bear-1, a blue colored planet, and the moon in question was beige and brown, with a few white clouds around. They nicknamed it Fudge because of its appearance, something Glynda made sure to state as completely inappropriate.

"Fudge is 60% smaller than our home planet, and has equivalent smaller gravity. It have a breathable atmosphere of nitrogen-oxygen, 22% oxygen, a little of other gases, nothing harmful. It has almost negligible atmospheric water, nor any superficial water body, but…" Velvet changed the screen for one of the moon with several color splats over it. "It does have a significant vast series of natural tunnels and maybe that can have water in liquid form. That would be enough to set a colony and terraform the moon."

"And our sensors can't go deeper into those caves? I don't want a repeat from last time." Jaune asked and Velvet shook her head.

"While the moon is composed mostly of silicates, the sensors reach is limited. No signs of unnatural activities, tough." Velvet finished her report. Jaune sighed as he wasn't too keen in sending his crew away into unknown situations, but he knew they needed to go. "Very well, chose a cave with the highest likelihood of having water. Tell Nora to prepare the bullhead with a Puma attached. I will pilot this time."

"What? Why not me?" Neptune asked from the pilot's seat, still covered in the green paint as Jaune forbid him and Sun of cleaning it up for two days.

"Because I want Glynda keeping an eye on you two, and I like to see you all green." The captain answered, and Neptune glared at Sun, that just tried to whistle. "Tell the Marines to meet us in the bay."

…

The Puma was a four-wheeled all-terrain vehicle that had five seats. It was used to reach places the bullheads couldn't and to fast move the troops around. It had a big canon on top, and several smaller side weapons. Its form remembered of a feline ready to attack, there's the name. Yang was already seated in the driver's seat with Pyrrha riding shotgun. Penny was behind the redhead in her green and grey armor, with no weapons apparent. Blake as manning the main cannon, and Velvet stood by its side as she finished checking her armor. The bunny wore a black and brown armor with golden details, with a pistol as side arm, and what looked like a big rifle on her back. She looked at her helmet and left a sigh.

"Anything troubling you, Staff Sergeant?" She turned to see Jaune in his white armor, and she couldn't help but blush a little. She had seen him on it before, but she always felt like he looked great on it.

"M-my helmet is kind of uncomfortable, sir." She answered as she gently touched her ears, remembered all the times they got in the way and also all the times bullies pulled them.

"Don't they adapt the helmet for Faunus ears?" He asked, and she nodded.

"But… mine are a bit too big… and we can't make modifications by ourselves…" She spoke in almost a whisper.

"Nonsense. As soon as we get back you are asking Nora to modify it to better accommodate your features. Just make sure she doesn't add anything to it. Does your helmet cause you troubles, Blake?" he asked the catgirl on the Puma.

"No, sir, mine fits fine."

"Sorry we can't just do it right away, Vel. Now, get in the Puma, we are dropping soon."

She smiled and got the seat opposed to Penny's, and they all put the helmets. The bullheads had a modular nature, so they left go of the troop transport module for the carrier one, and that one covered the Puma, basically transforming it in part of the bullhead. The bullhead was lowered over it, and they were covered almost in darkness if not by the faint lights of their equipment. Jaune assumed the pilots seat, and soon they took off. Entering the atmosphere proved to be a though ride, despite both the bullhead and the Puma being prepared to withstand the trip. It took several minutes for them to arrive at the drop point, and they finally relaxed as Jaune's voice was heard over radio.

" _We are upon the mountain range Vel determined to be the most likely place to find liquid water. There are some strong wind corridors so I can't take you safely there. Prepare to be dropped in five._ "

They all checked their seatbelts and waited. Not much longer and they were simply dropped a few meters from the ground. The sudden light blinded them for a second, and the Puma bounced a few times on the sandy ground before Yang took control of it and started driving them to the operation zone. They saw the bullhead overfly them and spun as a sign of good luck before flying to the upper atmosphere. It was always a safety measure to the bullheads not land in unknown territory.

Yang drove at high speeds around the valleys between the mountains, way too fast for most of them. But thanks to that they were soon at the entrance of a big cave where Velvet predicted they would mostly liked to find water. As they move off the Puma, it converted in its automated sentry mode, its wheels turning down and its arms spreading like an anti-air battery.

"The air is breathable but feels weird…" Blake commented as she allowed the outside air in his armor, a procedure everyone followed.

"It is the lack of moisture in the air, and the fact the moon is pretty much sterile. If the caves hold water, you will felt better." Velvet explained.

"Very well, Blake, you are pointer again. Velvet, by my side, Penny and Yang at the back." Pyrrha ordered, still a bit nervous about finally leading a team on her own, and hoping to not disappoint them.

As soon as they entered the cave and turned the lights on their helmets on they discovered that like a geode, the moon was plain from the outside, but beautiful on the inside, the cave covered in crystals of many colors that shone was their lights reached them. They stood there agape for a few moments, in reverie over the beautiful scene, before Pyrrha made them move again. For the first hour, the trip was uneventful, but also no signs of any water. As they walked, they only saw crystals until Velvet stopped and approached a formation.

Inside it she saw some grey stuff that didn't shone with the light and with care she took a sample and put it into the analyzer box she brought with her. After a few minutes the results came, and she left out a happy squeal, making the rest of the Marines approaching her. She just discovered life, in the form of lichens. It was one discovery that would put her name in History books, and for a Faunus like her it meant so much more.

"Aren't you a bit too happy, bunny? It is just moss." Yang said as she saw what Velvet was toying with.

"No, this is no just moss! It is lichen! Life in a different planet! Moon in this case. This is the biggest discover of our history! This changes everything we know about the universe!" The bunny said in an unusual enthusiastic mode.

"So, does that mean there is water here? Living things need water, right?" Pyrrha asked, and Velvet looked back at her analyzer box. Her enthusiasm subsided immediately.

"No, this is silicon based life form, using alcohol as a medium for its organic activity…" If she wasn't wearing a helmet, they would see her ears dropping. "It still is a fantastic discovery, we found non-carbon life forms, but to our mission perspective…"

"Well, it is too early to give up. Maybe we will find some water. My sensors detect trace amounts of it." Pyrrha said trying to cheer the Faunus girl, and it worked as she got up and nodded.

They walked a little more, and the crystals ended. Now they were walking in moss and lichens, and they were sure they saw some insects around. Velvet was ecstatic in discovering an ecosystem, but they were all based on silicon and alcohol. Things were going bad as they walked, but soon they heard dripping, and rushed in its direction the scenario changed to those of mushrooms, and now they saw big insects of pale white and beige colors munching on them, but especially, the big lake at the end of the cave.

Velvet gave a few jumps of happiness and rushed towards it, while her fellow Marines made a perimeter around her. The bunny's happiness didn't last long as the analysis came back a few moments later. There was trace amounts of water in the lake, but mostly was alcohol. Even if they were able to separate all the water from such a pool, that would take a hundred thousand liters of alcohol to get a mere cup of water.

"This moon can't hold life as us without severe terraforming…" She lamented.

"But we have so many moons around; one of them should have water. We just drop water here and be done with." Yang said, trying to cheer up her friend.

"We would destroy the ecosystem doing it… Not that the Colonial government would care anyway. They probably would just jump here and do whatever they wanted." She said as she returned together with her friends. As an exobiologist enthusiast that moon was a golden mine, but she had to accept that their own lives would take priority over those of the creatures native to the moon.

"So, this is it? Did we just accomplished our mission?" Blake wondered. The moon could be lived on, and they probably could terraform it, using the rest of the moons as resources, so that meant that what was supposed to be a long mission just finished. It felt a bit like a downer, she wondered.

"It is up to the captain to decide. At least we know now that there are places around this galaxy we can live on. For now, better we return to the ship. I will inform…. GAAAH!"

A small creature not dissimilar to a four legged grasshopper jumped on Pyrrha, and she was wrestling it off her armor. It was as big as a cat and was trying to chew her helmet off. Several others started to jump and attack the Marines, and they all fought back. Yang and her gauntlets where perfect for it, as it was Blake's PDW and Velvet's pistol, but Pyrrha was having trouble with her long weapon and the creature in her face. Penny grabbed the critter and smashed it with her mechanical hands, tossing the corpse into the alcohol lake. They kept shooting and smashing them until the creatures ran away.

"Fans of yours, Major?" Yang joked to dispel the tension, and they all laughed nervously at that, except Penny that still had troubles understanding humor.

"Well, if they are, I would rather they asked for an autograph. Let's just get out of here." Pyrrha said as she recovered her breath. But the local wildlife had another plans.

Several crystal clear tentacles grabbed them one by one, and pushed them up. They aimed the lights at the lake from where those came from and an eyeless frog-like creature emerged, her teeth filled mouth opening and closing as it left a weird sound out, and they realized that weren't tentacles, but the alien creature multiple tongues. They tried to aim, but the way they were being violently shook around by the tentacles made it impossible without the chance of hitting themselves.

"Someone do something!" Blake yelled as she flailed helpless.

"Understood!"

With that, from the back of Penny's _Hunter_ armor, several swords popped out, and at first her friends didn't understood what they could do until they floated around and flew, their blades cutting the crystallized tentacles. One by one they got free, till the android finally freed herself and landed on her feet, calmly walking back to the group. They were about to run when the creature leapt from water, its teeth filled mouth opened.

Velvet reacted first, arming her rifle and firing, revealing its true nature.

It was a rail gun.

The magnetic rails fired the big bullet in supersonic speed, so fast the air itself started burning, and the big bullet got through the creature with such force that it stopped it on its track, the huge monsters hitting the ground and contorting before dying, fire coming from the holes the weapon made instead of blood. The Marines all looked at Velvet destructive weapon in surprise.

"I think we should run…" The bunny said simply as she put her weapon back on its holster in her back.

"Why? It is dead. It is even on fire… Why it is on fire?" Blake asked as the fire started to get bigger from the hole the weapon made.

"Alcohol. They have alcohol on their blood. And this cave is filled with it. And now, there is a fire…" Velvet explained, and after a brief exchange of looks, they started running away as fast as their armors allowed.

…

Jaune flew around with the bullhead, playing music as he relaxed. It was weird though that he already missed all the commotion his crew would give him. He never had many friends, Nora and Ren being the oldest ones, but he already considered everyone on the crew a friend, even if some were a bit too prone to causing havoc and others were a bit too affectionate. But all in all he was happy he accepted the mission and chose that particular group of people.

" _Captain! We need extraction ASAP!"_ He heard over the radio Pyrrha's voice and she seemed distressed. He turned the music off and turned the autopilot off.

"Understood. What happened HOLY SHIT!"

The moon started to erupt in fire. From every cave and slit on the soil flames started busting out. The once brown and beige scenario was now fueled by blue flames and smoke. Jaune locked at the coordinates of the Marines and flew towards them, the bullhead shacking as the explosions and flames moved and heated the air. He was battling the controls when he saw the Puma rushing between the rocks, his Marines on it as they tried to avoid the flames and the explosions. He flew over them, trying to control the bullhead the best it could.

"I can't stabilize the bullhead! We need to find somewhere to dock!" He yelled over the radio while juggling with the controls as the bullhead tossed side to side rather violently.

" _We can't stop or we will die!_ " Yang retorted over the radio, and Jaune tried to come up with a plan. Looking ahead he had an idea, a crazy one that he could only hope to work.

"There is a canyon up ahead a few miles from here. Yang, I will need you to try to jump! Don't question, just do it! Penny, I will need you to grapple the bullhead! Change places with Blake!"

" _Are you insane?!_ " Blake yelled over the radio.

"I am taking you back home, Marine, just do it!"

Jaune saw from the bullhead as Blake and Penny did the complex operation of changing seats in a war vehicle in high speed while the moon itself was on fire. Several times he almost saw one or the other about to fall, but they finished the operation. He flew ahead and positioned himself over the canyon, and waited.

Yang saw the bullhead in position, and wondered what exactly her blonde captain was planning, but decided to trust him. It was that or be a very crisp girl and she wasn't compelled to be one. She accelerated and aligned the Puma the best she could with the bullhead. The car approached the edge of the canyon and they just let it go over it. For a second they fell, but then felt they were going up, and the Marines opened their eyes to see the bullhead was pulling them up. The mystery was solved when they looked at Penny.

They looked at the android and saw thin lines coming from her back, the lines connected to her swords that were pinned on the bullhead. They were pushed up and soon docked in place, and Penny guarded her weapons as the bullhead flew back to space, the moon bellow becoming a big ball of fire.

…

"So, the alcohol lakes are all connected?" Jaune asked as Velvet finished her report on the mission.

"Yes, when we lighted one, we lighted every single one. Since the lakes where underground, lightning never had a chance to ignite them, but when I fired my weapon…" She was gloomy, Jaune noticed, and approached her with a gentle hand on her shoulder, surprising the girl.

"You did what you did to protect your comrades. In my book, saving our friends is always a good thing." He said with a comforting smile, one that made Velvet look away from him.

"I not only killed any and all life forms on the moon, I made it impossible to live within now as the atmosphere is losing its oxygen and receiving CO2 in its place. Thanks to me, we lost a chance of a new home." She started crying, but she felt the captain hugging her, a tight, gentle hug filled with compassion, one that Velvet knew very little about. A life as a Faunus and as a soldier took most of such things from her.

"Vel, you all are my family now. I would kill anything trying to get you from me. You saved my friends, my family, yourself. We will find another moon or moon. Bu we will never find another you." He said with such gentle voice that only made her cry more, hiding her face on his shoulder as she cried out all her sadness. He gently petted her head, and a few minutes later she finally calmed down.

"Thanks, captain… I think I let my passion for exobiology get in the way of my mission." She said and tried to smile, as Jaune gently dried her eyes. The simple gesture made Velvet blush, but she didn't mind that touch.

"I do need you to help us with this mission, Vel. Both as a Marine and an exobiologist. So no crying over the spilled milk, OK? Now, I want you to go to Nora and fix your helmet, and then you are to take a day off. I can get Coco the day off too if you need a close friend." He offered, and Velvet finally left a big smile out and nodded.

"That would be pleasant. Thanks, captain. You are the best CO I ever had." She said, and then in a sudden surge of courage she gave a quick peck on his cheek. "I am better get going…"

Jaune stood there for a while, almost too dumbfounded to think. He was taken out of his thoughts as Glynda walked inside his office at the _Nagato_. Her face was one of concern, but somehow it was one of relieve too. Noticing that issue would take longer than his talk with Velvet, he offered her a seat.

"Thanks, skipper. I see your talk with Sgt. Scarlatina had positive effects." She asked in her usual professional tone, one that Jaune was now all too familiar with, and deep down he wanted her to relax a little.

"We need to be united, Commander. We are just fifteen people, and if we can't support each other in times of need, this mission will fail." He spoke, and Glynda once again was remembered why he was chosen as captain. He had a way with people, to get them to do what he wanted over loyalty and friendship, not over rank and orders. "How's everyone else?"

"Mostly tired, some too excited, especially Xiao Long and Valkyrie, despite the last one not having even left the ship. I mean, we have burned a whole moon. It is something people will not ignore back at Remnant." She stated as a matter of fact and Jaune groaned. First they destroyed alien tech, now they simple were responsible for a mass extinction event AND making a likely candidate to be their new home a deadly ball of fiery death. "But considering their age, and the situation we are in, they are performing admirably."

"You should tell them that." Jaune said with a smirk that Glynda gave back with one of her one.

"I will let you be the good officer while I am the mean one. It is working." She said and both shared a laugh, but Jaune looked concerned towards her.

"We don't know how long we will be here, Commander. I think showing the crew you are also a human being capable of feelings would be a good thing." He spoke softly and Glynda relaxed a little.

"I am older than any of you, maybe except Dr. Verd. I doubt any of you would think of me as an interesting person." She stated, and Jaune left a small chuckle out. Apparently he wasn't the only one to think lowly of self.

"I think you are interesting."

"Are you hitting on me again, captain?" She had a big grin on her face, and they both laughed a little. "Thanks for the compliment, but I am from a different generation than you and most of the crew."

"I think that is something we need, someone that has a different life experience. But… I am ordering you to take a day to relax every week too. And not staying in your quarters all day, go talk with them, or just listen. You already do a lot for us, so let me do my job too and try to keep them from exploding the ship." Jaune said, and Glynda smiled and nodded. He really was becoming a true captain as time passed.

"Anything else, captain?"

"Not right now. Tell Sun and Neptune to go get that green paint off, I will assume the helm for a while." He said and Glynda nodded, as both got out to do their jobs.

…

"Awww, and we missed it…" Ruby lamented as she was finally released of the med bay to hear Blake and Yang telling how they put a moon on fire.

"It is incredible how much chaos you all did WITHOUT Ruby. I think she might not be the problem after all." Weiss complemented, receiving a displeased pout from her captain.

"No one will ever surpass this." Yang said a little bit too proudly, and Blake sighed annoyed.

"I don't think trying to outdo this one will be healthy." The catgirl said as she kept reading another book from the ship's digital library.

"Now I really want to go on the next mission. There is not too much to do on this ship." Sun said as he entered the quarters wearing just his boxers, making Ruby hide her face with her hands, Weiss look at him indignantly and Blake ignoring him. Yang just evaluated him.

"Flying a bullhead while everything is on fire? That would impress the ladies." Neptune said as he too entered the quarters with just his boxers, both boys just out of the bath, finally without the green paint. Sun was more muscular, but Neptune wasn't shabby either. But that doesn't matter to the girls.

"WHAT YOU TWO ARE DOING NAKED!?" Weiss yelled and the two boys laughed.

"We aren't naked. Besides, we share the quarters, we are bound to see each other in less clothes than this someday, so think of this as preparing psychologically." Sun said as he flaunted his abs.

"Besides, Penny told us you all already saw the skipper naked." Neptune added with a smile.

"Well, I sure have." Yang said with a smirk before patting both boys' cheeks. "And he certainly is more attractive." She said with a wink before getting out, leaving the two of them dumbfounded.

"As a superior officer I order you two to put some clothes on!" Ruby yelled with her hands in front of her face. "Or else I will allow Weiss to use force!"

"Finally an order I would love to follow through!" Weiss said as she grabbed her knife, making both boys grabbing their shirts and protecting a certain sensitive area.

…

"So, Penny, how was your first mission?" Ren asked as he checked the android.

"Simply fantastic! It was so exciting, and being able to save my friends twice was all I always wanted to do!" Penny said with a big smile and a little dance. Ren gave a hint of a smile towards her.

"And how it was leading the mission, Pyrrha?" Nora asked as she checked the _Hunter_ armors.

"It was a good feeling, though I wouldn't call my first time leading a fireteam an utterly success." She confessed as she sat in the ground, checking her weapons. "If Penny wasn't there and the captain didn't come with that crazy plan of his, we would be dead…"

"Come on, it wasn't a standard mission, Pyr, you did quite well." Nora tried to cheer up her friend.

"Besides, you didn't know of my offensive abilities." Penny chimed in, but both girls failed to cheer up the Major.

"That is part of the problem, not knowing my teammates capacities beforehand. I think after being on the arena alone for so long I just don't know how to work with others. Or maybe I am just not leadership material like Ruby and the captain…" She sighed, but Ren and Nora giggled. "What?"

"This is Jaune's first command. He never really commanded someone before." Pyrrha widened her eyes as Ren revealed that information. To her Jaune was a bit goofy, and prone to jokes, but she always saw him as a reliable commanding officer and someone they all could trust.

"The Captain said once that he trusts us to do our jobs, and that is why he can do his." Penny complemented and Pyrrha felt both a little better and somewhat closer to her CO.

"Not everyone is a born leader, Pyrrha. Some need to practice those skills. Jaune certainly is still learning, yet he does his best." Ren finished, and Pyrrha smiled more freely.

" _Attention crew, here is your captain speaking. Since we finished scanning the moons on Bear-1 we are moving to Bear-2. Hopefully we won't cause an apocalypse this time; it doesn't look good on the reports. Today's dinner will be served at 1930, it will be fish. Yes, Blake, I will give you an extra serving. Also, I think we could use time and watch a movie all of us together. No, Yang, not a dirty one. And no, Ruby, not a fairy tale one either. Yes, Nora, there will be popcorn. The movies for tonight are Beast from the 5_ _th_ _Dimension and my favorite comedy Spaceballs. If I hear a joke about the title I am making you take triple duty. Everyone is invited… Scrap that, I am making it mandatory. That includes you, Commander. We will just leave the ship on autopilot, I am pretty sure the Nagato can survive without us for a few hours. Damn, sometimes I think she could do better without us. That is all, see you later_."

"I never had a movie night like this." Pyrrha said, and Penny held the Major's hand.

"This will be my first time too! I am so glad to have my first time with you!"

"Oh, that means I can have the skipper for myself then?" Yang said as she entered the engineering station at the docking bay. Pyrrha blushed as red as her hair while Penny and Nora babbled about first times and movies. Ren just smiled a little.

 _I see the fires will keep burning here too._


	8. Shadows of the Fang

Jaune sat at the captain's chair as the _Nagato_ was scanning the last moon in the Bear system. It was a long week, and none of the other moons could support life, and mostly couldn't even be terraformed, but there were plenty of resources, and moving the colonies there wasn't out of question. Of course for their primary objective that wasn't enough, and he wondered if in the next system they would have best luck. At least the moral of the crew was high, and everyone became friendlier as he made sure to make his soldiers to spend time relaxing together.

"You know, I was imagining if we found a system with many planets we could live in if the colonies would all keep the Vale, Atlas, Vacuo and Mistral thing." Sun commented as he ate a banana (an artificial one, of course).

"Agh, I hope not. It is incredible how they can get all serious about this. 'My floating space can is better than yours!' It makes me want to punch a dick in the dick!" Coco complained and they laughed at her colorful language.

"I am with Coco on this one. It all just a ruse to make people work harder. 'Don't ask what your colony can do for you' and 'Prove the Atlesian might, citizen." Jaune did his best Ironwood impersonation, generating a new round of laughs.

"I know a crowd that would love their own planet, the White Fang. They are always going on how the Faunus needs their own place and such." Sun commented and everyone started talking and joking about them, except Jaune, which had a displeased face, very rare to him. Ruby, which was working as comm. officer that shift, noticed.

"Skipper, something wrong?" She asked softly, and Jaune kept the displeased face. Everyone turned to look at him.

"The White Fang is a terrorist group that killed many people and endanger lots more, gunner. I would prefer if they wouldn't be mentioned on my ship." He said in a rare angry tone, and everyone gave him a concerned stare.

"Sorry, sir, didn't knew it was a sensitive topic." Sun answered, a bit surprised over the reaction. No one ever really saw Jaune really angry, and his eyes clearly showed that he was angry.

"That goes to everyone. I will go see if they need help at the docking bay. Captain Ruby, bridge is yours." Jaune said as he got up and opened the tube door, and Ruby gleefully sat on the captain's chair. She was about to say something when Jaune briefly returned. "And no firing the cannons if there is nothing threatening the ship, Capt. Rose." She pouted adorably as she crossed her arms while sitting on the chair.

"What bit him?" Coco wondered, and Nora was the one to answer from the engineering panel, in an awkward tone.

"Let's just say Jaune-Jaune and the White Fang aren't exactly in friendly terms."

…

Weiss checked her equipment for the ninth time, and Blake stared for a little bit before returning to her own checks. The Faunus Marine would usually take her time, slowly doing the checks, while the white haired one would repeat the checks as many times she deemed needed. Ren just watched them as he worked on Penny, fixing what he called the 'anti-warp shut down system' in the android. Penny herself was just watching the work being done around her.

"Lt. Lie, can you improve the reaction time of the serve motors on my _Hunter_? They aren't performing as expected." She said in a neutral tone, and Ren stopped his work on the android to check his panel.

"Reaction time is 0.07ms. Marine standards ask for a reaction time between 0.1 and 0.01ms in the _Paladin_ -class." He stated simply, before returning to his work, and Weiss just kept testing her _Hunter_.

"I would rather have it closer at 0.01. I want to have my equipment in prime condition considering how risky this mission turned out to be." She affirmed, and Ren nodded. It wasn't a difference that could be felt, but since they didn't exactly have a busy schedule in the _Nagato_ , he could humor the Marine.

"And the Schnee family probably knows everything about equipment failing during use." Blake commented, and Weiss glared at her full of indignation.

"Excuse me?"

"How many people died last year due to fault equipment while mining Dust? A thousand? Two thousand?" Blake calmly stated, and Weiss locked her gaze on her fellow Marine.

"Mining Dust on the moon is probably the second most dangerous job on the colonies, after Grimm slaying. Working heavy machinery in low gravity and with no atmosphere is a hazard, one we need to do since the colonies ran on Dust, as most of our equipment AND including this very ship." Weiss growled back at the black-haired girl. Ren and Penny awkwardly watched the exchange.

"Uh hum. I am pretty sure the equipment and safety protocols would be better if 90% of all miners weren't Faunus."

"Excuse me, but my family doesn't decide who works with them, it is the government. It is not our faults if the Faunus can't find better jobs." Weiss answered, and Blake finally gave a sign of displeasure as she lowered her scroll.

"True, but that doesn't excuse all the fault equipments, the overworked miners, the fact the Schnee Company prioritize the recovery of Dust crystals over rescuing the workers in case of an accident." Both girls started to speak louder as they talked back and forth.

"You are sounding like one of those White Fang fanatics! We need Dust, and your people need jobs! If they don't have the capacity to get better jobs, what we were supposed to do? Feed them for free?"

"We have the capacity! We don't receive the opportunity! That is why the White Fang exists, to at least try to get a few more rights to the Faunus!"

"Through lies? Robbery? Murder?" Weiss yelled, and Blake was about to answer if they weren't interrupted by someone really pissed.

"ENOUGH!" They all turned around to see Jaune standing there, a furious look on his face, surprising everyone. None of them have ever seen him that angry. "I don't know why the White Fang is today's topic, but that is enough! We aren't in the colonies and they are not of our concern or the concern of the mission. In fact, I am forbidding the mention of that group in my ship, and if I get any of the crew talking about them again, I will send you for one week into the brigs eating Sun's food. Am I clear?"

"But…" Both Marines started. That wasn't one of the over-the-top threats he usually did just to humor them, it was a serious one.

"AM I CLEAR, MARINES?" He howled, and the two girls couldn't help but stay put.

"Sir, yes sir!" They said at the same time, and Jaune passed through them without sparing a second glance. They exchanged angry looks before both walking away, at first in different directions until they reminded there was only one elevator and had to ride it together.

"Jaune…" Ren started, concerned.

"I am fine, Ren. Just having a bad day. Hey, Penny, just came to see how you are doing… Are you wearing earrings?" He looked at the android, and her concerned face soon gave space to a broad smile.

"Yes, I am. Thanks for noticing, captain." She spoke softly, and Jaune's face soon became his usual relaxed one, and Ren relaxed a little too.

"Those are interference blockers Nora and I made. I already installed them in the ship's core, and now on Penny's mobile unit. With that we believe she will be able to work even when the ship is in warp." Ren explained and Jaune nodded with a smile.

"That is great. We will arrive at the jumping point…"

" _Here is acting captain Ruby Rose, we arrived at the jumping point. We will warp in one minute, so better you hold into something. And sis, not the captain. That is all_." The speakers announced, and both boys exchanged looks.

"You are a bad influence on Cpt. Rose." Ren stated, and Jaune chuckled.

"I think I am an awesome influence. Right, Penny?"

"Indeed!" The android agreed with a smile.

"Very well, you keep an eye to see if the earrings work, I will go to med bay. Doc wants to see if she can discover why I hear singing during warp." Jaune said and was about to leave, but Ren held him for a moment and looked at his friend with concern. "I will be alright, jus an old wound that keep bothering me." With that, Jaune left.

"Did the captain get hurt during a mission?" Penny asked, but Ren shook his head.

"It is not a physical injury, Penny."

…

"Your hearing centers in your brain are active. You do hear something, Jauney." Dr. Verd explained as she watched her scroll and Jaune rested in one of the beds.

"But why just me?" he questioned, and the doctor spent a few seconds to think about it.

"Maybe it is something on your Aura? Everyone's Aura is different, and that is why most people have different Semblances. What is the singing about?"

"It is just singing, no words. The melody constantly changes, but it is mostly… melancholic."

"Well, if anything changes, report it to me. I don't think it is affecting you."

"Thanks, Doc. Better I go back to the bridge before Ruby decides to fire the cannons while on warp." Jaune said as he got up and grabbed his jacket.

"I am sure Cpt. Rose is not going to try something so dangerous." The doctor answered with her typical smile.

…

"Party poopers." Ruby pouted as indeed they didn't allowed her to fire the cannons while on warp. "I still say we should have done it, for science!"

"No one is endangering my ship for science, Marine." Jaune said in a playful way, and the bridge crew felt relieved seeing him back in his usual mood. "How's the warp travel, Penny?"

"It is marvelous! I am glad I could experience it." She stated as apparently her earrings worked its purpose. Jaune sat back in the captain's chair and checked the panels on his armchair.

"OK, the Cat system, the last one close enough for the warp to last less than an hour. Seven planets, only one in the life zone, one day before reaching it. Rubes, the fireteam will be you, Weiss, Penny, Nora and Blake. Tell Blake I will give her a rest next time. Helmsman, how long before we can see Cat-2, our target?"

"It will be a short trip, just a day." Neptune informed the captain. "Let's wish we have luck with this one."

"As long as nothing tries to eat my Marines again, I will consider it luck." Jaune answered as the _Nagato_ moved forward.

…

"Did something happen when I was away?" Ruby asked as she noticed the tension between Weiss and Blake at the quearters.

"Nothing." They both answered, and their voices clearly showed something indeed happened between them. Yang and Ruby traded stares.

"Will it affect the team on the mission? Because if it will, I will talk with Jaune…" Ruby started, but both girls left out a sigh.

"I promise it won't." Blake said first, and Weiss nodded.

"We are Marines, after all. We always accomplish our missions." The heiress agreed, and Ruby just accepted it.

"Now let's get ready. According to Velvet, Cat-2 has great chances of being a nice planet like ours was supposed to be. Maybe we will even have a chance to get a day off!"

…

"HOLY HELL!" Jaune exclaimed as images of Cat-3 filled the main screens.

The planet was two times bigger than theirs, but what was unusual was the fact that it looked like it had an accident with a moon. The red planet had a blueish moon stuck in its 'back', and was spilling lots of lava from the point of impact. It was like the moon was trying to get inside the planet, and there was lots of lighting between the two. It was at the same time horrifying and beautiful, and the crew at the bridge could just look at it in surprise.

"What the hell happened?" Jaune asked, and Penny was the first to answer.

"The sensors are indicating that this runaway moon hit Cat-3, probably long ago. Also, I can't locate Cat-2 in its supposed orbit… Or anywhere." She said, and Jaune turned to Velvet.

"I have no idea what happened here." She simple said, as she checked her scroll for the sensors readings. "Every planet in the system had their orbits changed somewhat, like some astronomical event of great proportions took place."

"One planet disappearing and a moon deciding to get cuddles with another planet certainly goes into 'great proportions' here. But what happened to Cat-2? Planets don't simple go take a vacation somewhere." Jaune inquired, and the crew started to check their sensors again.

"Sir, I might have found the answer… You won't like it." Glynda started as she showed empty space at first, before highlighting a series of what they expected to be debris. But the size and shape soon make them realized what they were looking at, and then the Commander joined them all like a puzzle. It was Cat-2. "The planet exploded from its center, throwing its moon against Cat-3, and leaving several fragments floating where the planet was supposed to be."

"When did this even happen? We registered this system just ten years ago!" Jaune enquired, and Velvet answered the question.

"This system is 275 light years from the colonies, so our information is at least as dated as this. Our telescopes received light that took years, centuries, millennia to reach us."

"Wait, wait, are you saying we can just go to a system that is thousands of light years from home and discover it is nothing like the first analysis said?" Sun almost shouted, and Velvet just nodded.

"That is why we have to come see them in person first." Jaune sighed and pinched his nose bridge. "Why the planet exploded?"

"The cause can't be determined from here. A closer look would be needed." Penny spoke, and Jaune pinched his nose bridge again.

"Well, I don't want to find a planet that could house us and discover it can just blow out like a party balloon. Tell the Marines to get ready, Neptune, you will pilot them around. I want scans from every major fragment. The _Nagato_ is to keep a distance for the moment, one hour flight distant from the fragments at all times." Jaune finished, flopping on his chair. Of course things would never go as he wanted.

…

"Holly hell…" Neptune commented as he flew over the fragments. Some were bigger than the colonies, some were made of ice, probably from frozen oceans, and others had what he was pretty sure were trees. Apparently Cat-2 was a prime candidate to be colonized, but destiny had other plans and fooled with their hopes. While the distance between fragments was big, he still took no chances and kept a distance from it.

"I wonder how fast this happened. If whatever lived on this planet knew what hit them…" Ruby wondered as the bullhead circled the debris.

"I honestly hope they never saw this coming. We all know that watching your planet slowly dying is terrifying." Weiss added as she looked by the window, as smaller fragments flew by the bullhead. There was a long moment of silence before the bullhead's sensors started beeping.

"Hold on, a cloud of smaller debris ahead. I will try to avoid them all, but can't guarantee it." Neptune said as he started maneuvering the bullhead. "Glad most of them are smaller than us."

The bullhead flew side to side, while the Marines watched from the small hatch windows outside, the exploring lights of the vehicle illuminating other debris but they passed too fast for them to get what they were looking at. Ruby kept staring, a bit bored as the dark masses passed her window. She hoped to see something cool to tell the crew of the _Nagato_ when they got back. She would learn to be careful with her wishes.

They heard a thud, signing they had hit something, but the bullhead kept flying as usual. As Ruby looked back at the window she jumped on Weiss, embracing the white themed Marine, as she pointed to the window and gagged and trembled. The rest of the crew looked at her in concern, before they all looked at the window. What they saw shocked most of them.

A face was splattered on the window, contorted and charred, an expression that could only be describe as painful. Apparently it had a big mouth and four eyes, but it was hard to discern on its state. But probably the most shocking thing is that the corpse was wearing ragged clothes wearing around its thin body with elongated arms and legs.

It once was an intelligent species.

"Oh crap…" Blake said in a whisper. "Neptune… stop the bullhead, full lights…"

The Faunus girl probably regretted that order.

They were surrounded by the corpses of the aliens.

Some were hugging each other in a morbid embrace, others were naked, and many looked like they were just going with their day before their planet exploded. All had contorted faces, partly due to the exposition to space, part due to whatever happened to their planet.

Ruby and Weiss hugged each other in horror, while Nora just covered the visor of her helmet with her hands. Neptune was agape and shocked, while Penny was trying to understand why her friends were acting that way. Blake was probably the only one at that moment that had a semblance of self-control.

"Turn the lights down, Petty Officer." Neptune did as ordered after a few seconds, and waited the next step. "Cpt. Rose, we need to inform the _Nagato_. Cpt. Rose? RUBY!"

"What!? Yes! The _Nagato_! Jaune will know what to do!" Ruby finally let go of Weiss, though the white haired girl still clung on her friend. " _Nagato_ , here is fireteam. Please come in."

" _Here is the Nagato. We appreciate your call. In the moment all the attendants are busy, but we will take your call as soon as possible_."

"Heavens damn it, Yang!" Ruby shouted at the radio.

" _Ouch, what bit you, lil sis_?"

"We are sending pictures of what, but I am warning you it isn't pretty! Neptune, send it to them." Ruby ordered, and there was a long moment of silence on the radio. When the seconds become minutes, Ruby called again. " _Nagato_?"

" _Sorry about that, Rubes. Sun just passed out. And I think we got a bit too shocked. OK… I know this probably is not what you want to hear at the moment, but there is a huge fragment close to you. I want you to scan its top and see if you can find any infrastructure, like a building or something. We need to know what happened here_." Jaune said over radio. The Marines exchanged a few looks at each other.

"Understood skipper." She answered before breaking contact. "OK people, we have our orders, so let's do this."

"Really? I vote for us to turn around and go hide in the ship with the big cannons." Neptune said, and while most of them would agree, Ruby entered in officer mode.

"No deal, Petty Officer. We have a mission and the Marines always accomplish their mission." She patted his shoulder and the helmsman sighed, but started flying in the direction of the biggest piece of the planet, while shaking off the corpse that attached itself to the bullhead.

The ship approached the top of the chunk of rock that once was part of Cat-2, and the top was covered in snow and ice, probably the atmosphere and oceans that froze when the planet exploded and lost its warmth in contact with the cold space. Neptune did a low, slow flight as the scanners on board searched for whatever the captain wanted them to find. As expected, the scanners soon mapped many constructions and roads buried under the snow, but no sign of any activity, also as expected.

The bullhead approached a valley, and bigger structures were detected. The silent flight kept going, unaware that their passage woke something.

From under the snow several drones activated as they detected the passage of the unidentified ship and were launched, pursuing the bullhead. When the bullhead radar caught them, it was too late. They fired against it, hitting its engines. The vessel spun around, violently tossing the Marines inside the ship before burying itself in the snow. The automated drones flew over the crash site before going up, with a new, bigger target on sight.

…

"Something attacked the bullhead! We lost contact with it!" Glynda shouted as the _Nagato_ entered in read alert.

"We are moving in! What attacked them?" Jaune asked as Yang moved the ship in the direction of the downed bullhead. She assumed the pilot seat with Neptune's absence, with as gunner alongside Coco. Sun was still passed out as Dr. Verd helped him.

" _We detected several drone fighters before losing contact. I am unable to reach my mobile unit too_." Penny said from the intercoms, worry laid in her voice.

"OK, here what THE HELL!" The ship shook violently and the lights flicked, and the Nagato veered on its side slightly, the gravitational floor turning off-line. "Yang?!"

"It wasn't me! Something is pulling us in!"

" _I detect both a gravitational force and magnetic interference in the form of a beam, coming from the same fragment our friends are. I am trying to find it's exactly source_." Penny informed, and Jaune growled in frustration. It seemed everything decided to happen that day.

"Can we escape this tractor beam?" Jaune asked, but Ren didn't seem confident.

"We don't have enough power to do so. We would fry the ionic engines before escaping. And the way it is pushing us we will crash in the planet's fragment. It is probably some automated defense system that survived the explosion." He stated more calmly than he really was.

"Yang, try to delay our fall the best you can. Cmdr. Goodwitch, I want contact with my Marines. I doubt a little crash would kill them. Penny, locate the source of this damned tractor beam." Jaune ordered around.

"Captain, tangos incoming!" Coco said as the radar detected the drones approaching. "Contact in thirty minutes! And this damn beam is messing with the auto-aim!"

"So use your eyes, gunner! I want those flies out of my sight!" Jaune shouted, and Coco smiled as she converted the gunner stations to manual. Two joysticks each with their own screens popped up from her and Pyrrha's panels.

"I bet my dessert that I can down more enemies than you, Major." She proudly said as she kept preparing the guns.

"That we shall see, Sergeant Adel." Pyrrha answered as she did the same. But deep down they all were concerned with the away team.

…

"WAKE UP!" Nora shouted, and the Marines started to get up one by one. "Are everyone alright?"

"Yeah… What hit us?" Ruby asked as she sat back at her place, holding her aching head.

"Some weird drones… They blew up the engines, so we can't fly back home anytime soon." Neptune explained as he verified the bullhead. "Life support is still working, but the main radio is busted. I will try to fix the emergency one, but it will take a few minutes."

"Blake? Blake!" Weiss panicked to see her fellow Marine wasn't moving, and checked the diagnostic panel on her forearm. "Her armor is malfunctioning, the air system is failing! She will suffocate inside her armor!"

"Neptune, pressurize the cabin!" Nora ordered, surprising them. She moved towards Blake and as the cabin pressurized, she messed with Blake's _Hunter_ and removed the helmet. It took a few seconds before the Faunus girl took a deep breath relieving them. "The helmet got damaged on the fall, I will fix it!"

"Ugh, what hit us?" Blake asked as she also held her head.

"The guys from the planet left the alarm on. Here, let me check you out. You hit your head pretty hard." Weiss said, and she started to check her friends head, but stopped when she felt something. As she used her fingertips to feel it, she removed her helmet and spread Blake's hair aside, finally prompting the catgirl to jump away when she realized what Weiss was messing with. "So… that explain why you defended the White Fang so much!"

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Blake sadly in a cold voice, but it was too late for her.

"You are a member! The Schnee Company discovered long ago that White Fang operatives would use implanted chips on their scalp to identify themselves! We kept it a secret as a way to keep an eye on your kind!" Weiss shouted, surprising everyone inside the bullhead.

"Blake, that is not true, right?" Ruby said, almost begged. She knew that if Blake was a member of the White Fang, she would face the death penalty.

"I am not a member of the White Fang… anymore…" She admitted, and they all looked in shock at her. "You all know the story, don't you? Fifteen years ago, there weren't equal rights for the Faunus. He worked harder, received less rations, lived piled up in storage bays. That is when he did it, the Great Strike. We refused to work, and when 90% of the Dust mining workforce was made of Faunus, you simple cut the life line of the colonies. We hoped that this would be enough to prove our importance to the humans, but they just sent the Army to beat us up till we accepted to go back to work. We refused. Then they started killing us, saying we had weapons, a lie… at least, at first. We fought back, some of us, at least. We took some weapons and we tried to defend ourselves. As things were escalating, we got desperate."

"That was when the White Fang threatened to blow the Colonies." Penny stated as she accessed the historical archives in her memory bank.

"Exactly. We said that if we couldn't have equal rights, we would take everything and everyone with us. We blew some parts of the hull of all the colonies to prove we could do it. Living in the worst parts of the colonies, doing the most dangerous jobs gave us the knowledge to know where to explode. After months of negotiations and threats from both sides, we, the Faunus, were granted equal rights, and supposedly, everything was to stop there." Blake sighed as she rested her back in the wall of the cabin. "But a law saying we were equals doesn't make us such."

"I know there are racists around, but…" Ruby started, but Blake left a laugh out, surprising the captain.

"Around? They are on the top of most governmental organizations. You want a job? Good luck receiving a job you are qualified for instead of being sent to the mines because the people responsible for the job assignments don't think the Faunus can do more than that. Damn, if Jaune Arc didn't take me, I would still be just a Warrant Officer because my old CO still thought Faunus in the Armed Forces only worked as Grimm bait."

"You said you left the White Fang. Why?" Weiss asked, her anger uncontained.

"After the Great Strike, the White Fang became a shadow ops group, finding dirty on anti-Faunus politicians, or creating traps for them. We used blackmailing as our main weapon, to get better schools, better food, better quarters, and better jobs. All things the law said we should have but still was denied to us. But then, our leader, Adam Taurus, decided we needed to be more… energetic."

"You mean murder." Weiss stated, and Blake could only nod.

"I left as soon as the first target was assigned. That was son of an anti-Faunus counselor. That is how Adam wanted to do it, by targeting their families. I left, gave information on Adam and his group, and saw them all getting arrested and executed. I betrayed them, but they never said my name, probably thinking I wasn't the one who did it." Blake ended her story, and there was a minute of silence between them, before Nora handed the catgirl her helmet back.

"It is fixed. Now, do you promise me you aren't a White Fang girl?" Nora asked with a serious face, and a surprised Blake just nodded her head. "Enough for me. Renny's says the past is the past, and while you can't deny and respond for it when the time comes, it is the present and the future that really counts."

"I am with Nora here. If you left you left, so we are all good." Neptune chimed in.

"Well, you always acted as a good Marine, and fought with us all this time." Ruby added, and they turned to Weiss. She kept staring at Blake.

"I saw friends and family disappear along the years, all because of the White Fang. This scar?" She removed her helmet and pointed to her left eye. "A bomb that almost killed me when I was thirteen. All because I had the wrong last name. So, you do understand that the White Fang is on the very top of my 'things I want destroyed' list. So, I need to know, Belladonna. Have you really cut your ties with them? Will that affect your job as a Marine. Because I know I can trust my fellow marines no matter race, gender, age. But I can't and won't trust the White Fang."

Blake couldn't see under their helmets, but everyone looked at her with expectation, all of them, even Weiss, maybe specially Weiss, wanted her to say she had no relationship with the White Fang anymore. There was a long moment of silence, and the Faunus girl just wanted to be able to say what they wanted to hear.

" _*bzzzt* Bullhead *bzzzt* Nagato, can you copy?"_

"We can hear you, _Nagato_ , some damn drones took our engines, and we need extraction ASAP." Neptune answered the emergency radio, while everyone else shuffled to listen to it.

" _About that… We are dealing with the drones now, and some type of tractor beam is pushing us towards your position. On crashing speed._ " Jaune stated by the radio, and the group exchanged brief looks.

" _We are sending the coordinates of the possible source of the beam to Penny. It is three hundred meters from your position. If we are going to rescue you we need this beam off_." Glynda said, and Penny confirmed receiving the coordinates.

"We are on our way, _Nagato_. How much time we have?" Ruby asked over the radio as they started to get their equipment ready.

" _Half an hour tops, so better hurry_." The transmission then ended.

"Great, a walk over 300 meters in the freezing space with deadly drones around." Neptune complained as he got his pulse rifle. "I will complain with my travel agent."

"Let's get going with this. We need the _Nagato_ as much as they need us now." Ruby commanded and they fixed their weapons and armor, and after decompressing they got moving.

Moving around showed to be easier than expected, as the snow wasn't very compacted, and Penny used her swords to open the path as she took pointer, with everyone else following in line. A few minutes later they found themselves looking at a wall made of concrete, probably belonging to the building the tractor beam was supposed to be. Now all they needed was to find a door.

Nora had other plans.

"No time for doors. I will make us one. That is why I belong to the demolition squad." She said happily as she started to put charges around the wall.

"Am I the only one not surprised Nora knows how to explode things?" Neptune left out, and the rest just shrugged.

"OK, charges are set. We might want to take a few steps back."

After taking several steps back, Nora pressed the detonator. Different from what many expected, the lack of atmosphere made the explosion just a shiny flash and debris flying around, no big ball of fire our sound. But it did the job and they had an opening, so they entered the building.

Unexpected, they didn't found corpses scattered around, but the walls had many signs in alien symbols, unreadable for them. They followed Penny as the android used her sensors to find the tractor beam system, and the tension was almost palpable. It didn't take long for them to find an ample circular room, alight by the working of the machines. In the middle was a big tower made of some type of metal, several shining lights forming a simple pattern on it, pulsing. Floating on the top was a decagonal structure held by shining filaments to the tower.

"OOOH! It is like how the gravity floor works, combined with an electromagnetic pulse system! I bet it even use Dust as power source!" Nora said as she jumped around checking the panels and computers surrounding the structure.

"Can you shut it down?" Ruby asked the engineer, and Nora stopped jumping to look at it, spending a good minute analyzing the structure. "Nora, the _Nagato_ don't have all the time in the world! Neither do we!"

"I think I can." Nora stated as she kept analyzing it.

"Let's just blow it up and get away!" Neptune said as he shot against the structure, but the electromagnetic field made the pulse energy he fired to ricochet and hit one of the control panels. There was a moment of stunned silence, and then the girls looked at him. A second moment of silence followed as they menacingly approached the pilot.

They stopped as the structure started to crackle and spark, and for a second it seemed to turn off. But before they could say something, it turned one again with a weird purple tint, and they felt they were being pulled against it. Weiss, the lightest of them was pulled in the air in the direction of the machine, but Blake used her grapple hook to hold the white _Hunter_. They activated their magnetic boots, but where slowly being pulled on. Penny anchored herself with her swords and grabbed Neptune and Ruby by their collars, keeping them in place.

"I can't hold for much longer!" Blake said as she grabbed on one of the handrail around, still trying to pull Weiss back.

"Nora! If you can do something, do it now!" Ruby yelled, her feet now on the air as her boots gave up holding her on the ground.

"I hear and obey, oh captain!"

Nora armed her grenade launcher and fired three times, in apparently random directions. But one thing Ren and Jaune learned about her a long time ago, after years knowing her, it was that despite her attitude and personality, the energetic girl was not as random as she seemed, and when in battle she knew exactly what to do. The rounds trajectory was distorted by the gravity machine, but that was calculated. The three rounds all hit control panels around, and made them explode in a puff of pink smoke. The machine apparently got stronger for a second before overloading and frying itself, making Weiss and ruby fell down on the ground slowly due to the meager gravity in the fragment.

"Good work, Nora. Penny, can you reach the _Nagato_?" Ruby asked as they got up again.

"Yes, they have got rid of the drones and are on their way to rescue us. They want us back at the bullhead." She stated and they sighed and started walking again.

"Blake?" Weiss called her fellow Marine, and the girl turned towards her. "Thanks for the save. I wanted to say… I will trust you. As a fellow Marine and friend. I won't tell the captain about this."

"Weiss… Thank you, I promise I won't let you down." Blake answered, and if not because of the helmets, they would see they were smiling at each other.

"So, we all agree to let this little information off the records?" Neptune stated, and they all nodded, except…

"Oh, no…" Penny said in a bit of a panic, and they all stared at her.

"Penny?" Ruby asked, fearful of the answer.

"This information was deemed important, and my core at the _Nagato_ already passed it to the captain…" She said in a very anxious tone. "I am sorry."

"Well, it is Jaune, he probably will not take it hard." Neptune tried to comfort them.

"I… wouldn't count on it…" Nora affirmed in a very sad tone.

…

"He WHAT?" Ruby screech indignantly at Cmdr. Goodwitch. As the _Nagato_ hauled the bullhead and the Marines back, they discovered that Jaune ordered the arrest of Blake as soon as she got back into the ship.

"Lt. Belladonna is to be taken, unarmed, to the med bay to have her checked and then held on the brig until an investigation about her supposed affiliation with a well known terrorist group is conducted." Glynda said in her professional tone. Yang was there to make sure the order was enforced, but had a very sad frown on her face.

"I will talk to him! He won't put my Marine on the brig!" Ruby protested, but Glynda stared her down.

"It is his Marine, Cpt. Rose. Jaune still is the CO and highest ranked officer in this ship. He will hear everyone about this in due time, but for now she is to be held." The older offices stated, and Blake spoke before Ruby could interject.

"I am going willingly. Thanks for your concern, Ruby, but I knew one day my past would catch me." Blake started removing her armor and weapons and giving them to Nora.

"But…" Ruby tried to say again, but Blake shook her head. "I will convince him you are on our side!"

"Thanks, Ruby. I am ready." The Faunus girl stated as she finally removed all of her equipment, and Glynda gestured her to follow.

…

"Hey, kitty, I brought you lunch. It is fish… or whatever they call fish." Yang said as she slid the tray under the cell's door. "How are you doing?"

"Waiting for a death sentence. How's the skipper mood?" She asked as she took the tray and put it in the small space that was serving as a table in the wall. She wasn't in the mood to eat.

"I never saw him so serious before. Ren and Nora only say he had a nasty encounter with the Fang before." Yang explained, in an unusual sad voice.

"So, my chances, that weren't good to begin with, now are even lower. I should have seen this coming. Sins of the past always bit back." Blake stated as she lay in the small bed, covering her eyes with her arm. "He trusted me, and I failed him. He probably hates me now."

"I wouldn't say that. You know, you should eat your food. The skipper cooked it." Yang said with a small smirk, and Blake stood up and looked at the tray again.

…

Hope wasn't a feeling people in Remnant were used to. Even less if you were a Faunus. And as Blake was finally called by Jaune, any little hope she expected to have left as she saw his serious face. The blonde man always had an easy expression on his face, even when he was exasperated or working. Most of the time he had a goofy smile and was always joking around, but not now. His expression was serious and not of many friends. As she entered the room, he spared only a little stare to her before indicating her to sit. She cautiously did that, and expected the worst after spending twelve hours in the brig. Blake expected the wait to be the worst, but now she felt the brig was better than the way Jaune looked at her.

"The crew wasted a good deal of my time telling me why I should ignore your past, Lt. Belladonna. Even Lt. Schnee spared an hour to state why I would be a fool if I didn't give you a chance. And don't even let me get started with Cpt. Rose." He started, and while he said that, his tone wasn't friendly. It was cold, and that made Blake shrink a little. "They said you left the White Fang and gave Adam Taurus away. That was five years ago. You were just sixteen."

"I was recruited when I was seven, after the Great Strike left me orphaned. I was Adam little spy. Not many people pay attention to a little girl, and it is incredible how a little bow hiding my ears just make people seeing a little human girl instead of a Faunus." She explained, but there were no changes in Jaune's expression.

"But you never really left the White Fang, did you?" Jaune showed in the screen a series of activities from the last ten years related to the terrorist group. "Because despite Adam and his direct followers being arrested, the group still exists. But someone have giving us info about the most dangerous attacks. Am I correct assuming it is you?" Blake just nodded. "That is why you kept the chip in your scalp? So you could keep an eye on the Fang?"

"Yes. Thanks to that I could provide info and avoid the death of many people."

"So, why not give info on every member and activity? Why allow the blackmailing, the robberies, the spreading of misinformation go unchecked?"

Blake wanted to answer, but she noticed Jaune probably knew it already. She still believed that those were needed to protect her people, the Faunus. That was how the White Fang acted at first, and she still believed in those actions. So while she tried her best to keep them from becoming murderers, she still allowed those smaller transgressions go.

"Lt. Belladonna, as long as you condone their actions when you have the power to stop them, you are part of the White Fang. And I can't have a member of that group in my ship." He stated as a matter of fact, and Blake almost could feel despair.

"Sir, the White Fang…"

"Lt. Belladonna, you might think you can keep them under control, but you can't. You don't know everything they do. A lot of people still go 'missing' because of them. I would be one of those." She widened her eyes as he spoke those words, and he noticed her reaction. "When I was sixteen, my sisters, my family and I were returning from an event. The bullhead pilot diverted the course to an old space station that was supposed to be out of commission. The White Fang kidnapped us because they wanted to use my genius sisters to work for them, and they said I was to be a hostage so they would comply."

"Sir…" Blake said in a murmur, shocked to learn that fact. She never heard of that before.

"They beat me around in order to prove their point. They were to pour acid on my eyes if Chia didn't cover me, burning her hands. They drew a knife and called my sisters fakes, lies created by the humans. They said they were going to kill me and my parents if they didn't cooperate, and that broke them. The seven lovely girls I always knew got mad, and manifested their aura and Semblances. It was a blood bath. None of the eight terrorists survived."

Blake couldn't imagine that. The seven Arc sisters were the cutest, funniest, lovingly girls she ever met, annoyingly so. None of them, neither Jaune, had any signs they suffered such an event before. But she knew he wasn't lying. And even after that, he still treated Faunus and humans as equals, judging them by their actions and not their origins. That was what he was doing now. Judging her by her actions.

"I couldn't sleep for a week, and I was scared of my sisters. Of them! I only stopped when I saw Dia, the sweetest girl I ever knew crying because she thought I hated her. As you can see, your 'surveillance' over the Fang is flawed at best. Worse, when you allow their less damaging activities, those help them to realize the most dangerous ones. I don't hate the Faunus, Lt. Belladonna. But I do hate the White Fang and what they do to reach their objectives. I have only two questions for you, Lt. Belladonna. Why are you here, and where your loyalties lie?"

"I…" She started speaking after a long silence. "I am here because I want to believe. That if we find a place to live, if we can get hid of the Grimm, everything, to my people, to the humans, everything would get better. I knew if I left no one would watch over the Fang, but… I deemed this mission to be more important…"

"There is no space on this ship for Blake Belladonna of the White Fang, but it might have for 2nd Lieutenant Blake Belladonna of the Colonial Marine Corps. Who are you?" Jaune asked, and Blake wondered about that for a minute or two. In front of her there was one of the few humans to ever have treated her fairly, one that despite his past with the Fang was listening to her, clearly giving her a chance if she was to take it.

"I have a favor to ask, skipper…"

…

"Are you sure you want to do this, Captain?" Glynda asked as she checked the two items on his table. One was a data bank provide by Blake, containing all the info she gathered about the White Fang, the members, activities, hideouts, supporters. With that info, the Colonial Government would simple get rid of all the remains of the White Fang. The other item was a small hexagonal chip that was removed from the catgirl's scalp, her White Fang ID.

"I believe in second chances, Commander, and she took it. She finally cut all ties she had with the Fang and is dedicated to the mission. I know what the higher ups think, but they are wrong, and I won't make their mistake in damning someone like that."

"We can always go back and deliver this info and her to the proper authorities." Glynda stated as she checked the ID chip.

"They will just kill her. Besides, if we go back, I am sure Ironwood will use the opportunity to strip me of command, take Pyrrha back to her golden cage and maybe even cancel the mission altogether. And we can't lose a crew member if we can avoid it." Jaune stated as he put the two items in his personal safe locker. "Penny, I want all information about Lt. Belladonna and her previous affiliation deleted from all records. You are to put this memory in lockdown on your brain unless I specifically order otherwise."

" _Understood, captain. I want to say that I believe you are doing the right thing. Lt. Belladonna is trustworthy_."

"That, she will have to prove with actions, Penny. I know you disagree with my decision, Commander, but I want to believe people can change."

"They can, I am seeing living proof of this." She smiled at Jaune, surprising him, and giving him a pat on the shoulders. "One day you probably will make a decision you regret, Captain. And I will be here to tell you that and help you get up. Now, let's go join the crew. I doubt Major Nikos and Cpt. Rose can keep everyone under control."

"Thanks, Commander." He sighed and walked by her side. "You know, we have being on this mission for half a month and I already need a vacation."

"Not as much as me. But I can always blame you for my troubles." Glynda said with a mischievous grin, making Jaune groan and laugh.

…

 **A.N. Longest chapter I ever wrote. XD**

 **Of course, I decided to change some things from what happened in the series considering the context of this AU. With Weiss, despite keeping her a heir to the Schnee Dust Company, due to the situation the world is built in, it is not as meaningful as in the original show. Therefore, it has less effect on her and how she treats others. And being in the Armed Forces, her attitude would be greatly fixed with the discipline demanded and with the dangerous missions she got. Also, remember everyone here is older than in the show, so they are more mature too.**

 **It is really hard, I know that, to completely let go of something you supported for long. You start making excuses to it, no matter how awful it become. Blake wasn't indoctrinated into the Fang, or else she would never realize their mistakes. She wanted to believe, and when she realized what the Fang was becoming, she tried to fix it while still believing in what pushed her to support them. But deep down, I would believe she always knew there was no salvation for that group. When people become fanatics, they don't care about facts and consequences.**

 **Jaune's past with the White Fang in this AU was a way I found to confront Blake's believes in a way she could realize it more promptly. A confrontation with Weiss would only reinforce in her mind why the Fang was needed, but one with Jaune wouldn't, because she would have to deny the fact he treated her and every Faunus fairly, even after having all the reasons to not, and so if she still wanted to side with them it would be her deciding Faunus and humans couldn't live together.**

 **Anyway, daily updates will keep going as long as I keep invested in this story. This one will probably be a long one. ;D**


	9. Coco and Chocolate

Gunnery Sergeant Coco Adel disliked routine. The Marine Corps though seemed to love it, considering all the timetables and regulations. She was always eager for a mission to appear because that would always break routine. Not that she loved all the death and suffering, but she hated routine. It was one of the reasons she wasn't ranked higher, because of her unorthodox ways to do most things.

Also, she disliked authority, and could be very petty about that. One of the reasons she accepted going into a ship with a risky mission with little to no parameters was because she wanted the freedom that would entice.

Another reason was her cute little bunny friend, that was eager to do something important, and being accepted to this mission was a way for that. Coco also wanted to keep her best friend safe, so all fell together to make that mission something pleasant for the short haired Marine. Seeing Velvet flirting with the CO of the ship also was a big plus.

But even there in the _Nagato_ routine could settle in. It was not every day she would have the chance of shooting mechanical worms, see her best friend transforming a moon in the most awesome hellfire ever or win a dispute with Major Pyrrha Nikos over destroying enemy drones while the ship was hurling towards a piece of a planet that explode to pieces. But they were still at the Cat system, as they assembled the puzzle that was the destruction of Cat-2. By 'they', Coco meant everyone else but her. And as a week passing by, routine settled in.

She would wake up, take a bath and keep thanking the ship's designer for the roomy quarters where she even had stall so to not allow the two stooges, as Weiss called Neptune and Sun, to even have a chance to stare at her while bathing. Then she would fix her uniform, especially her favorite bonnet and sunglasses (because she thought of them as fashionable) and go to the mess hall to eat breakfast. There was no real time table for meals, but there was a rotation of cooks, and they weren't available all the time. If she missed the time for them, she would have to make her own meal. And today was the Captain's turn.

It was always his turn when the morning shift was up to them. Coco was the main gunner, Sun the secondary, Neptune the helmsman, Ren the engineer and most of times Velvet was the communications officer. The second crew was led by Cmdr. Goodwitch, with Yang as pilot, Nora as engineer, Ruby and Pyrrha as gunners and Blake as comm. Penny was always present if she wasn't helping at engineering. Weiss simple assumed the role of supply officer, a job that fit her immensely. Of course, they would rotate on those jobs as needed, but now it is a usual day, to Coco little displeasure.

She arrived to see everyone else on her shift was already there. She grabbed her tray, with sausages, toasts and eggs and the biggest cup of coffee she could. Sure, nothing of that was the real thing she read in books, but she needed to eat and have her shot of caffeine. And she didn't know how Jaune did it, but he made it tastes great. If they ever came back to Remnant, she would demand to serve under him forever if she could eat that food often.

Talking about the captain, there he was eating his food and talking with Velvet, the girl happily talking about what they expected from the next system. Coco smiled seeing both were having a good time, glad to see the blonde man was such a nice person. But she would break his legs and arms if he hurt her friend, and she made a mental note to tell him that sooner than later.

By their side was Ren, the boy drinking tea and revising some data, mostly ignoring the talking around him. Coco never understood how he could withstand Nora's antics, but she saw weird couples before, and she wondered why those two refused to assume a relationship. On her side of the table was Petty Officers Wukong and Vasilias, the duo snickering and talking on whispers, and if Coco didn't knew, he would assume they were exchanging sweet nothings to each other. But that was a sign that the two were about to prank someone, as the two promised themselves to prank everyone on the ship at least once. She imagined it would be someone outside their shift this time, and since they got everyone on fireteam RWBY already (and spent a day at the med bay after messing with Yang's hair); she assumed their targets would be Nora or Pyrrha. They were saving to prank Glynda another time, one were they could be sure they would survive her wrath or not getting caught.

"OK, everyone, finish eating so we can relieve the others at the bridge. They won't be happy if we are late." Jaune said as he put the last piece of sausage on his month and gulped the rest of his juice before walking away with Velvet. Coco finished her breakfast soon to follow them, not because she wanted to keep an eye on the captain and her friend, of course.

The _Nagato's_ bridge while on Glynda's shift was always a sight to behold. Yang was laughing her ass off, while Ruby was blushing and yelling back at her sister. Pyrrha was doing her best to keep composure, but her red cheeks showed she also was a victim of the blonde girl's antics, while Nora and Penny pestered the older officer about whatever dirty talk Yang delivered that day.

"Time to change the shift, ladies." Jaune said with a smirk, and Coco noticed the relieved expression on the Commander's face. As they left, Yang winked and sent a kiss to Jaune, the boy blushing. Pyrrha also gently touched his arm in her way out. It was painfully obvious those two girls and Velvet liked the captain, but he was too oblivious to notice. Coco thought of interfering, but only because the bunny girl forbid her, that and the fact that it was too entertaining to stop so soon.

They sat on their posts and after checking everything it come the usual 'look at screens to see if something come their way'. Coco's longest run on that game was thirty seconds. In fifteen she was already bored and decided to speak her mind.

"Skipper, how long you intend to stay here?" She asked as she turned on her chair.

"Do we know what happened to Cat-2 yet?" He answered but directed the question to Ren and Velvet.

"Well, theory is that a micro singularity worked as a white hole and exploded the planet, but no signs of it yet. Other theory is that they tried some new technology that doomed them." The black haired engineer spoke first.

"Or evil aliens." They all turned to Velvet, making her blush over the sudden realization she said something unusual and in a way too cheery tone. "W-we did found a-aliens, why not e-evil ones?"

"Well, I am sure I would love to shoot evil aliens." Coco smirked and fixed her sunglasses.

"I would rather not encounter evil aliens if they can just blow up a whole planet." Sun protested.

"Don't be a chicken."

"I am not a chicken!"

"You did pass out over pictures of dead aliens." Neptune chimed in the teasing.

"Dead things are scary! And they just popped out without proper warning!" Sun defended himself.

"Look, no one is shooting anything! I would rather run away than creating a reason for aliens of any kind to try to sink my ship. But, I am tired of waiting; we are going to get some answers now." Jaune said and Coco raised an arm in celebration, routines would end that day. Ren looked at him surprised.

"Aren't we avoiding getting closer to the planet' debris due to the automated defense systems?"

"Yeah, but we won't get answers sitting here and theorizing while trying the long range sensors. I will take the chance. Put the ship in red alert, Neptune, we will do it fast. I want a fly by the center of the debris. Ren, Velvet, get all data you can, after that we will leave to the jumping point. Coco, fire anything that fly in our direction, otherwise hold it. No need to disturb a wasp's nest. Sun, try to not pass out."

"Aye aye skipper!" they all shouted as they prepared to go.

"Captain, wouldn't that disturb the rest of the crew?" Penny asked, and Jaune smirked.

"They will survive."

…

"I hate him." Weiss stated as she drunk a cup of coffee. She was preparing to sleep in when the red alert came, and she was forced to get in her battle station with the rest of the crew, and was only able to sleep three hours after they left the area. So, she was now sleep deprived and very cranky. Not that she was the only one cranky at the moment.

"At least you don't discovered Sun and Neptune thought as funny to mix cereal with your shampoo. I am still finding flakes on my hair." Pyrrha said as she indeed found another flake on her long ponytail.

"Well, at least was not pancake syrup. I had to deal with Nora trying to lick my hair." Yang said with a smirk. "Oh, and talking about our dear captain..."

Jaune approached with Coco, the two had a mischievous smile as they looked at the displeased faces of their fellow crew members. The ship was currently in autopilot to go to the jumping point. Coco sat at the table while Jaune fixed them some coffee.

"Skipper, are you aware of the meaning of the word mutiny?" Weiss asked as Jaune chuckled and scratched his head.

"Come on, who we would put as captain? Goodwitch, Penny?" Coco wondered as Jaune gave her a mug of coffee.

"Anyone but Ruby." Weiss stated, and Yang laughed.

"Come on, my sister is a great leader. Besides, I am pretty sure the skipper did it for a reason… because otherwise I might add some more weight on our training." Yang playfully, but truthfully, menaced, making Jaune laugh uncomfortably.

"We collected some data on Cat-2 situation. And initial analysis is pretty good on getting us an answer. Penny?"

"Initial data says that a great gravitational disturbance happened at the center of the planet a hundred years ago. We found that was probably a micro singularity in its path. The people on the planet probably didn't saw it coming."

"Awful way to go…" Weiss commented sourly.

"At least it wasn't evil aliens." Jaune said, and Coco pouted a little. She certainly would love to fire the guns a bit more. "And now we are going to the Dingo system."

"Who came up with the naming scheme?" Yang asked curiously.

"Prof. Peach. She is almost pathologically shy so not a lot of people know of her. She is the lead astronomer of the project. Here, I have a picture." Jaune showed the picture of the cutest little tiger Faunus ever, with cute sakura and pink colored hair, tail and ears. Yang immediately fawned over her.

"I want…" She said as she looked at Jaune's scroll.

"What we want?" Neptune asked as he entered with Sun.

"You two just volunteered to help me train." Pyrrha said as she got up and grabbed the two by their collars. "I promise to be extra nice with you two."

"Captain!" The two yelled at Jaune as Pyrrha dragged them out.

"She is your superior officer. And I learned to never mess up with a girl's hair." Jaune stated and waved at the two soon to be dead boys. "Honestly, if they had seven sisters they would never play that prank."

"Seven sisters should have bred lots of awkward situations." Coco said, and Jaune nodded. "I bet you saw them naked a lot, eh?"

"EXCUSE ME!" Weiss got up and rushed away before the two girls could start the teasing and naughty implications.

"Way too many times. I am pretty sure half of them were just so they could mess with me. That is what happens when you have to share the tiny, tiny room with them." Jaune said with a sigh, shivering at the memories. Coco and Yang laughed heartily.

"You know, skipper, if you want to see a sexy naked blonde, you know where to find me." Yang said seductively, once again winking, but this time brushing her leg against his, making Jaune gag on his coffee. Coco patted his back as he coughed.

"Yang! Stop it! Heavens! I thought I was going to escape the teasing at here! You are as bad as my sisters!" He complained and Yang laughed.

"The difference is that you can do things with me if you want." Yang singed whilst wiggling her eyebrows, making Jaune widen his eyes.

"Lt. Xiao Long! Any other improper comment and I will have you test Nora's next experiment!" He screeched and she laughed and got up.

"You know, skipper, you look adorable when you get frustrated." She finished before going, while Coco laughed hard at the misfortune of her captain.

"You are lucky, Coco, not having any older sibling." He said, and noticed that Coco stopped smiling and got a frown.

"Yeah, really lucky…" She said in a tone Jaune couldn't identify. She got up and left without saying a single word. Jaune looked at her back and left out a loud sigh.

"Way to go Arc, you made a girl sad. This is why you don't have a girlfriend…"

"I think that is not the only reason, captain." Penny said objectively, making him groan out loud. When the ship's AI says that, it is clear he made a horrible mistake.

…

Coco sat at alone at the only place of the ship one could see the stars not from a screen, but from windows. The observatory deck was place in the belly of the _Nagato_ , and was made of thick Dust-glass coated with anti-radiation film. According to the project the idea was having a way to look outside in case of emergency, but she soon discovered that there was the perfect place to relax as it was hard to get there, with many hatches to open. So she just sat there, looking at the stars and at an old picture, a rare physical one she had. She stopped when she heard the hatch open and relaxed when she saw a pair of bunny ears.

"Hey Velvet. Need me for something?" She asked in a melancholic voice.

"No, but maybe you need me. Jaune asked me to discover what he said that made you sad and how he can fix it." Velvet said as she floated to where Coco was. The observatory deck had no gravity.

"He didn't say anything on purpose. But he is just one of those lucky bastards that fail to see how lucky they are. He has a big family and complains about it." Coco stated, and Velvet sat by her side, gently touching her hand.

"It is about Caz?" Coco nodded as she looked at the picture again. A young Coco, with hair as long as Velvet's was there, and behind her a tall boy with dark eyes and hair, putting the bonnet Coco was wearing on her head, and both wearing a pair of sunglasses.

"He probably doesn't know as my brother was from a different mother, so my file probably just shows me as an only daughter. But I was once a younger sister. And I miss him."

Velvet hugged Coco. Very few people knew about Cazew Black, her half-brother. He was part of the Spacy, a pilot, and three years before the mission his bullhead was taken down by a giant Nevermore, killing him. Coco didn't like to talk about him, but before his death they were really close, and while he was a lot like Yang and Jaune's sisters in his teasing, she missed him dearly.

"If the Grimm never existed, how do you think our lives would be?" Coco wondered, and Velvet took a minute to think about.

"Without Grimm, there would be no Faunus, so I wouldn't have met you." The bunny girl answered, and Coco petted her bunny ears.

"I couldn't live without you, Vel. OK, so, imagine our lives with just a little Grimm." The two girls got in a pensive stance for a while. "OH, I know, we would go to school but it would be all about hunting Grimm! And we would be friends!"

"Oh god, why school? I hated school! With all the bullies and all!" Velvet complained but Coco laughed.

"Come on, can you imagine us all in school? Goodwitch would be a teacher; Arc would be just a meek student…"

"I can see the Commander as a teacher, but Jaune as meek? He is just… dreamy…" The bunny girl covered her blushing face with her ears, and Coco laughed loudly.

"You know, you should be more aggressive them, because Yang is not holding back. And I noticed Pyrrha is upping her game too."

"But…" Coco put a finger on her friend's lips. "No buts. He is a nice guy, you like him, go for it."

Velvet was about to answer back when they heard a click and saw the hatch opening. Jaune came from it and give them an awkward smile. They finally noticed the compromising position they were and pushed each other away, Velvet blushing madly.

"Hey, Coco. Hi Vel. I was searching for you."

"Me or the bunny?"

"You, actually. I just want to say I am sorry if I said something insensitive. I am not the brightest person around in case you haven't noticed." He said apologetically whilst scratching the back of his head, and Coco pulled her sunglasses and floated towards him, enveloping her arms around his neck and locking her chocolate eyes on his blue ones, making him and Velvet blush. "Uh…"

"You know, handsome, maybe if you give me a sweet, long kiss I might forgive you." She said as she approached her lips of his, making him stutter and blush. Then she smirked, spun both and tossed him towards Velvet, the two getting tangled as the bunny girl tried to catch him and Jaune tried to avoid the shock. Velvet shot a glare at Coco, which winked before putting her sunglasses back. "Nah, you aren't my type, skipper. Give the kiss to Vel. See ya!"

She jumped back inside the ship and closed the hatch, just imagining the two would now be stuttering excuses towards each other, yet the bunny would try to use that alone time with Jaune. With her mischievous good deed done, she decided to go pester someone else.

…

And she found the perfect target in Blake. The catgirl was in her bunker, reading whatever book she found in the archives. Coco sat in the bunker across her, glad the _Nagato_ actually had that much of space.

"Hey kitten. So, everything back to normal?" Blake didn't moved from her scroll, but answered anyway.

"Yeah, we don't talk about it and so we are all good. I am just happy no one is acting weird around me."

"Yeah, yeah. So what ya reading?" Coco asked and tried to peek, but Blake pressed her scroll on her chest. "Oh, naughty stuff?"

"No." Blake answered but her voice cracked just a little.

"What the cat hid in her bag?" Coco singed as she tried to grab the scroll.

The two girls started to jump around the quarters for a bit until Coco grabbed Blake's ankle and the two fell down, with Coco on top trying to reach the scroll, but the black haired Faunus had her arms stretched in an attempt to keep her secrets safe. As the two struggled they failed to notice that Weiss and Ruby entered the quarters, the former looking angrily at the duo while the later blushed madly.

"You two know that our bunkers have curtains? I don't care if you two decide to be more than friends, but at least keep it private." Weiss stated as she got a clean uniform from her locker.

"What? No!" Blake tossed Coco from her and got up. "It is not what looks like!"

"This is what people say when it is." Ruby almost shouted as she walked nervously to get her clean uniform. "I am happy for you two."

"Ruby, this is not what you think it is! I swear! Coco just wanted to grab my scroll!" She showed her lit scroll to the redheaded girl, and Coco took it from her hands to her surprise.

"Ohohoho! This is what you like, 2nd Lt. Belladonna? I might say, this is the most steamiest boys…" Blake took her scroll back and turned it off while blushing madly.

"You talk about this, Sergeant, and I will have you cleaning the latrines!" Coco snickered but indeed shut up.

"Why, what are you reading?" Ruby asked, and Blake stared back.

"Nothing of importance, captain."

"You can always order Penny to reveal Blake's downloads." Weiss chimed in, not really interested on whatever the Faunus girl reads, but pleasing herself on Blake's suffering.

"You do that, and I swear I will find your cookies and recycle them as raisins." The catgirl threatened and left, leaving a speechless Ruby and a laughing Coco behind. Weiss rolled her eyes and grabbed ruby so they could shower, not giving time for the Sergeant to tease them, much to her dismay. She was about to go to the showers to make a comment when Velvet entered, blushing furiously.

"Coco! Why you did that!"

"What, will you tell me you didn't enjoyed being in the skipper's arms?" Coco said feigning being offended.

"That is not the point! It was awkward! I couldn't even speak! And he was all concerned thinking he did something wrong!" The bunny whispered shouted, before covering her face with her ears. "And… And… He said I smell like chocolate and he likes it…"

"Wait, he did? Way to go Vel! One point for the bunny! Now, all you need is a bit of skin ship with him and you are all set!" Coco celebrated, making Velvet blush madly, but not exactly against the idea. "Now, I have the perfect tiny panties for you to use."

"COCO!" Velvet blushed madly and darted off, hiding her face in embarrassment. Coco laughed and followed her.

 _Yeah, I am happy, I am here. You don't need to worry about me, Caz._

* * *

 **A.N.: Thanks to Swarley Stinson for beta reading this chapter. ^^**


	10. And There Will Be Pirates

Unfortunately for the _Nagato_ , the past two stellar systems turned to be busts. The Dingo system's star had gone supernova, and the Elephant system had only empty rocks as planets, leaving the mood of the crew sour, to say the least. Yang hasn't cracked bad puns in days, and nobody was thrown in the brig since a week. The only two that seemed to be in good mood were Nora and Ren, because they were working in some secret project they refused to talk about before finished. Everyone else was cursing their luck; even Jaune's optimism was gone.

"We arrived at the Falcon system, captain. Six planets, one in the living zone. Its star is in normal conditions, and the planet has evidence of atmosphere." Penny informed, and Jaune left a relieved sigh out.

"Thanks Penny. OK crew, let's go scan those bastards. Let's hope we have better look this time." He said, and the ship moved towards Falcon-3.

"Captain… I am detecting radio signals…" Velvet called, and that got the captain's attention as he moved to her station, looking on the screen over her shoulder, making her blush a little as she felt his proximity.

"Can it be just space radiation?" He asked, and she shook her head.

"It is a pattern, repeated every forty seconds, apparently conveying some type of information… It sounds like a distress signal." She played for the crew to hear, and the series of blips and blops really sounded like some type of transmission.

"Very well… Penny, help Velvet in trying to decipher this transmission. We are in yellow alert as of now. If it is a distress signal, we don't know why it is being cast, so no taking chances. Ren, tell Nora to ready the fighters. We will be extra careful this time." Jaune said before returning to his seat and activating the speakers. "Attention crew, we detected what could be a distress signal and we are going to investigate. Lt. Xiao Long, you and I are going to ride the fighters. Cmdr. Goodwitch, assume the bridge. Cpt. Rose, keep a fireteam ready. I will let you choose this time. That is all." Finishing his orders he entered the tube in the direction of the docking bay.

…

" _Bumblebee_?" Jaune asked Yang as he noticed she named the fighter she was going to ride and painted the name in golden letters.

"Yeah. You said once nameless ships are bad luck, and after my lil sis misadventures with the bullhead, I decided everything able to fly in this ship needed a name." Yang proudly said, and Jaune started reading the names she gave the fighters and bullheads.

"So, the other fighter is _Ladybug_ … it does fit... _Nuts & Bolts_… very self descriptive. _White Rose_ … charming… _Seamonkey_? Why? _Monochrome_ … It doesn't even make sense." He concluded.

"They are all ship names. The _Seamonkey_ still needs fixing after that crash, but soon I think it will fly high and might." Yang stated and Jaune just shrugged. Very little could surprise him now. He turned to Ruby as she finished putting her armor.

"Hey, Rubes, who you chose as fireteam?"

"The usual culprits. Me, Weiss, Blake and Pyrrha. Who will fly us around if you and Yang will be riding the fighters?" She asked and Jaune winced slightly as he realized he forgot that.

"Neptune as usual. Cmdr. Goodwitch can fly the ship if needed to be, as can Penny." He explained; glad to see Ruby just accepted it. "This time we will be more careful. Apparently the galaxy has more people than we thought."

"Yet we are to meet them. If we do, I hope they have a salon. I sure need some care." Weiss commented and they just stared at her for a moment before deciding to not bother an answer.

"Anyway, let's hope if we indeed make first contact that these aliens are nice. So avoid any unnecessary aggression, OK, Rubes?"

"Don't worry, skipper. Yang is not going with us."

"Hey!" they chuckled as Yang yelled from the fighter.

…

"So, is that our target, skipper?" Yang asked as the fighters flew towards the source of the radio signal.

Jaune looked over the window to see the simple spaceship they found floating in a rough orbit around Falcon-3. It was a long, copper colored vessel that reminded him of the colonies they came from, except that ship was hexagonal instead of cylindrical. There were a few lights flicking around, and some inscriptions on the hull. Jaune noticed that it only had one warp engine, the second one missing, maybe in an accident. Both fighters flew around it, using the scanners o board to analyze the ship. It was three times bigger than the _Nagato_ in all senses, but seemed to be a cargo ship instead of a battle or exploratory one.

The fighters were pretty much like miniatures of the _Nagato_ in format, except it had full wings instead of the half-wings that housed the warp engines. Yang was having a field day flying around, happy to do something different, but Jaune kept doing the job he needed to. When they finally finished scanning, they flew away from the ship.

"So, what you think, Nora?" Jaune asked as he finished sending the data back to the _Nagato_.

" _I think we need a pet. Something cute like a bear or a lion_."

"Nora, no dangerous creatures, I already told you that. Also, I was asking about the data I just sent you." Jaune patiently explained over the radio.

" _Oh, that. Well, it's a cargo ship if I ever messed up with one. Mostly a big hollow vessel where the cargo fills the center_."

"Oh, so it is like a big burrito!" Yang exclaimed and Nora laughed a little.

" _Yeah, you can say that. No life forms detected, but! If those readings are correct, it is filled with Dust_." She finished, and Jaune wondered about it for a moment. While scavenging the ship felt wrong, they could use all the Dust they could get their hands on. After a second of internal conflict he decided to dispatch the fireteam.

"Tell Rubes they are going inside. Yang and I are going to patrol around a little to be sure there are no surprises. Priority is locating any survival. If we don't get any, we will take as much Dust as we can." He finished, and the fighters flew to the other side of the planet.

…

"And the hatch is open." Blake said as she jumped down to a wide corridor with a hexagonal format like the ship. There was no gravity floor there, so they used their magnetic boots to stay in place.

"Am I the only one that think what we are doing is wrong?" Ruby asked as she jumped next. It really felt questionable to pillage a ship that was sending a distress sign.

"Our priority is rescuing any crewmember. But if they abandoned ship, its cargo belongs to whoever retrieves it. It is how old laws worked back when we lived in the planet. I believe it would be followed in space too." Weiss justified, but the sense they were doing something wrong didn't left Ruby.

"Neptune, better you keep a little distance. We will radio you if we need." Ruby said to the pilot and he closed the hatch to obey the order. "OK, Blake, keep yourself camouflaged until we deem it safe. Weiss, pointer, Pyrrha, back."

Blake activated her active camouflage, and after a few distortions of light she turned virtually invisible. With that, they moved in line, the catgirl a little behind in case they needed cover, while the Marines, weapons ready, walked towards the middle of the vessel. According to the scans the ship they were in only had that corridor big enough for them, all the rest were probably maintenance shafts for robots to enter. There was only one room big enough to be called a bridge, and apparently there were no quarters, so they assumed the vessel was for short trips.

It didn't take long for them to find the 'bridge', but compared to the _Nagato's_ that one was pretty poorly equipped. Only a small chair surrounded by monitors and in the wall several crude panels with buttons to be pressed. With a sign from Ruby, Weiss checked the chair and the panels, and they mostly showed schematics of the ship, confirming that was the only room in the whole ship. She couldn't understand the weird alien language, though, and left it as that.

"Apparently the only crew member left. Or maybe he is in the cargo bay?" Weiss wondered, and pointed to a door on the back of the bridge. Ruby nodded and they approached the door, pressing the rather large and soft button.

The door opened and they entered the cargo bay. There was no platform, so, they just jumped and glued themselves on the wall. For their surprise, there was no big cargo of Dust in the vessel. They saw that the cargo bay was sprinkled with Dust powder making a rather beautiful if useless decoration, but what filled the cargo bay surprised them. Two spaceships were there, and their format remembered them of the fish they saw in old images, but they were covered in weapons, in a rather rudimentary way if they could tell.

Before they could speak anything, several spotlights glared upon them, momentarily blinding the Marines. When their vision came back, they were surrounded by people in black clothes and weird shaped hats, all of them with weapons on hand. But they weren't humans; they were aliens, live ones.

They had four glassy red eyes with no pupils, and small scales covered their skin. They also had small tails and their legs bended like the legs of a chicken. One of them started speaking in their alien language, probably given orders to them. For a brief second the Marines looked at each other, before jumping to attack the menacing aliens.

The attack by surprise was working perfectly. Weiss and Pyrrha were quickly in getting close to the enemies and dispatch them with their guns, the redhead satellite shield flying and hitting many of them, while the white Marine used her many combinations of Dust rounds to take down her fair share. Ruby kept in the middle providing fire support, and for a moment it seemed they would deal with them.

That was when someone attacked and defeated Weiss with a degree of easiness that was beyond scary.

The figure that defeated the white haired Marine was definitely feminine, and maybe of a different species than the previous attackers. She wore a white jacket and brown panties, and carries a strange device the Marines weren't familiar with in her hands. She had brown, strawberry and white hair, and her eyes were chocolate and strawberry colored, but every time she blinked they changed colors. Her most prominent features though were the beautiful white pattern on her skin, like vines growing over it, the pair of crystal like hornets coming from her hair and twirling behind her pointed ears and the small crystal-like structure growing on her forehead. All else were almost identical to humans.

Pyrrha jumped on her, using her weapon in lance mode, but the mysterious alien girl easily blocked the attack with her weird weapon, no more than a half bubble in a stick. Surprised, the redhead Marine tried to use her semblance, to discover whatever weapon she was using was not made of metal. They traded blows for a bit, clearly the alien girl having no difficulty to deal with her adversary. When the Marine believed to have found an opening and thrust her spear through it, the girl simple shattered like made of glass. A confused Pyrrha stood there before being stunned by the mysterious adversary taser-weapon, disabling her armor and knocking her out.

"Pyrrha!"

Ruby shouted and attacked the mysterious girl with her plasma scythe, but once again the enemy dodged every blow with easy before tasering the last Marine in the battle. As Ruby conscience started to fade, she could see the feet of several aliens approaching her and her friends.

…

The wake up was nothing but rough, and Ruby opened her eyes slowly as her armor finally restarted working. She noticed she was in a different room, maybe inside the ships hidden in the cargo vessel. Pyrrha and Weiss were on their knees, and Ruby saw their weapons in the hands of some of the aliens. They all pointed heavy weapons at them, and this time the marines knew they couldn't fight back.

Before they could speak, a new alien walked toward them, the same species as the others, with the mysterious girl walking by his side. He wore a white jacket, instead of the black ones the others wore; the same weird hat and had a cane. On his mouth a weird object emitting smoke. This new alien started speaking, apparently both gloating and explaining something, but the Marines couldn't understand whatever he was saying. The alien stopped and looked at them, likely expecting a reaction, but none come. He groaned and called one of his goons, and after a brief exchange hit said goon with the cane in the head, gesticulating something.

The goon got out and came back later with a box, that his boss took it. He approached the girls and gestured for them to remove their helmets. When they didn't comply he put a knife under Weiss neck.

"OK! We will do it!" Ruby shouted, and after checking that the atmosphere was safe, she and the others removed the helmets, and the aliens murmured in shock towards each other. The alien boss took a small rectangular device from the box and glued it to their foreheads, just above and a little behind their left eyes.

"Can you understand me now?" He spoke, and they eyed him in surprise. "Good, those old translators are working. Now, as I was saying, I am Roman, and this is my crew of entrepreneurs. Since you fell for my little deception, I think I deserve to know who you are and where are you from."

"I am Captain Ruby Rose, Marine Corps of the Remnant Colonies on board of the FTLRSS-7 _Nagato_. That is all information we are allowed to say." Ruby said in her most serious voice, and after a brief moment of silence there was laughter around.

"Great, soldiers! Those alien creatures are soldiers! And they have a ship! We can always use a new ship."

"Are we sure we want theirs? They are pretty ugly! I bet they are disgusting too!" One of the other aliens said and the others agreed, and Roman raised his hand to silence them.

"We will clean up if they are disgusting. But a ship is a ship."

"What have you done with the crew of this ship?" Ruby asked, and Roman looked surprised.

"Nothing. This is a Vareelian mining ship. There is no crew. They just send their worm drones to mine and the ship to get whatever they want. Vareelians are lazy ones, they just like to let their machines do all the work while they sit back in their planet having their big heads stimulated by their own machines. So it was easy to hack inside one and use it to attract good doers like you, little alien, to steal equipment, sell slaves…"

"You are a pirate." Pyrrha accused, and he gestured in fake indignation.

"Independent entrepreneur, thank you. Now, here is the deal, we will contact your ship, and in exchanging of your lives, they will give it to us. You can have this one, and wait for your people to come to rescue your crew. Good deal, don't you think?"

"They will never do it!" Weiss shouted, and they laughed.

"They always do, ugly one." Weiss almost yelled over the comment, but held back. "Now, let's show your ship what they are dealing with. Crew, let's get out of this flying coffin and meet our adversaries."

The ship moved to the outside, and on the screen the Marines could see the top of the cargo bay opening, and the two alien ships moved outside and moved towards to the Nagato, and there was a moment of great discomfort between the alien crew as they analyzed the Remnant ship.

"Captain Roman, that ship is as weird as their crew… and it is big… like, three times our size!" one of the alien goons said, and Roman spared a disgusted look at him.

"It is Admiral Roman as I command several ships, you imbecile. It doesn't matter its size, we have hostages. Try to contact them, let's hope their radios work the same as ours." It took a few tries, but soon the image of Glynda Goodwitch filled the screens of the pirate ship. "Hello there, do you understand what I am saying?"

" _Yes, we do. I am Cmdr. Goodwitch of the Nagato. You are?_ "

"Ah, good, the translator is working two ways. I am Admiral Roman Torchwick. I got three little trespassers in my property, and I was wondering how you are going to compensate me, but seeing your ship, here, I know how. You will surrender your ship in…." He counted the Marines with an unneeded flourish. "Three cycles, or you won't see them again. You will know how much a cycle is because every cycle you fail to meet my demands; I will blow up one of your friend's ugly heads off. That is all, have a good day, see you in a cycle."

"What if they ask for reinforcements?" The alien goon asked.

"Pfft, from who? The only people in this sector are the Valeerians and they help no one. And since they obviously aren't from this sector, they don't have anyone to aid them in a 20 kilocycles range. We just sit back and wait. We kill two of them, and if they don't comply by the third, we shoot her in a torpedo and flee while they go rescue her."

Ruby clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. She couldn't believe they were trapped in a pirate space ship. Her mind was working as faster as she could but she couldn't think of a plane that wouldn't get them killed. She wished she could turn invisible just like…

 _BLAKE! She is still somewhere! If she boarded this ship with us, she can save us!_

…

"I don't like your plan, captain. It is my fellow Marines we are risking." Blake said as she was hiding in one of the pirate ship's service lockers with the brooms.

" _It is the best chance they have. We don't have enough personal to simple board their ship and rescue Ruby and the others. So, you get to the bridge, and when we give you a distraction to use, make sure they are ready to get hauled as fast as possible_." Jaune said over the radio, hoping the aliens didn't detect the transmission.

"I will be very angry if they get hurt, captain." She lowly growled at the radio.

" _Trust me, OK_?" Blake closed her eyes for a second. Jaune trusted her, so she wanted to trust him back.

"I will do it." She finally said.

…

"Captain Roman, the alien ship is hailing us." Roman slapped the face of the goon that called him captain.

"Pass them through." The face of Glynda appeared at the screen. "Ah, that was fast. So, Commander… When can we board my new ship?"

" _I advise you to surrender now, Admiral. You have one minute to do it. You will know when your time is up because we will start firing against your ship. That is all_." With that the screen turned black. Roman and his crew kept looking at yet, a bit shocked.

"Sir, the alien ship is closing in."

"It is just a feint. They won't do anything!"

"Sir… They are aiming at the _Crosk_ …"

"Calm the fuck down and contact them. I will blow up one of their… Oh crap…"

The alien pirates turned to see what their captain was looking at, and saw three of their own downed, and the three Marines putting back their helmets and with their weapons in their hand, as Blake uncloaked and revealed herself.

"OK, here how we will do it. Let us go and we will tell our ship to not blow you up." Ruby threatened as she pointed her said pistol against Roman.

"Now, let's all calm down and…"

"SIR! THEY ARE FIRING AGAINST THE _CROSK_!" They all looked at the windows and saw as the alien ship was being hit with heavy fire.

"Evasive maneuvers, fire back, launch the mosquitoes and…"

"SIR! TWO SMALL SHIPS APPROACHING US! Oh no…"

"Oh no what?!" Roman growled while grabbing his crewman by the collar.

"They launched missiles against the bridge… Our bridge…" Roman and the crew at the bridge all looked through the windows as the two fighters fired against them, the missiles approaching fast.

"And guess who is not wearing space suits?" Blake said and before they could react the missiles exploded at the front of the bridge, opening a big hole.

Half of the alien crew was sucked in space, while the Marines jumped on the operating consoles and into the space, grabbing on the fighters and flying away. Roman held in a rail in the bridge with his cane for a minute or so before the emergency curtains closed the hole. He grunted as he got up and looked at the monitors.

"Captain… The _Crosk_ is lost… They are aiming at us now…" One of the alien crewmen said to Roman, and he narrowed his eyes on the screen, seeing the other ship exploding into pieces.

"Emergency warp, get us out of here!" He growled and took his hat. "I don't know who those aliens are, but they just made an enemy they will regret making…"

…

"This was probably the worst flight I ever took…" Weiss complained as the fighters returned to the _Nagato_ , jumping from the wing she had to hold.

"Worse than that time you and Ruby flew in a giant Nevermore?" Nora asked and everyone looked at her.

"We never did that!" Weiss shouted and the energetic girl looked confused.

"It was a dream you had, Nora, I told you before." Ren explained and Nora nodded and started skipping to the fighters to check them out. The four marines got together to check each other, and soon Yang and Jaune joined them.

"ARE YOU CRAZY? WHAT IF THOSE MISSILES EXPLODED US AWAY?!" Weiss yelled at the two pilots.

"Calm down, snow angel. It was a calculated risk and you are all alive and safe." Jaune answered as he removed his helmet and showed a smirk.

"Never, ever call me that again, Captain Arc, or I will make sure we got a new captain by week's end!" Weiss threatened, and they just laughed a little.

"Penny, what about the alien ships?" Jaune asked the ship, the answer coming a second later.

" _The ship we fired against exploded, while the one that held our friends warped. The bridge waits your orders, Captain_." She explained, and Jaune took a few moments to think.

"Let's approach and scan the wreckage, we will rescue any survivor. If no survivors are to be found, we see if we can salvage anything useful. I will decide the rest after those results." Jaune explained and turned back to the Marines. "Anyone hurt?"

"Just our egos." Ruby explained with an awkward smile. It really hurt being defeated by pirates.

"I want you to get checked by Doc anyway. Now, do any of you know how we were able to talk with those aliens so easily? I doubt that for some cosmic coincidence their language and ours is the same." Ruby pushed the translator of her forehead and gave it to Jaune.

"They said it was because of those things."

"Oh, a new toy!" Nora immediately took it and twirled the small piece of equipment around her fingers. "Ah, clever guys! A data bank, a mind wave reader, I can so make this myself, built-in into our helmets and communicators!"

"Very well. Ren, help her; this is your top priority. Talking with them will work wonders instead of just firing at them. I am going to the bridge." He them turned to the Marines and petted Ruby. "Glad to see you all safe and back."

She smiled toothily at him.

…

"No survivors, skipper. We double checked. Also, no salvage deemed useful by Nora or Ren." Velvet explained as Jaune sat in the captain's chair. He left a small sigh out and checked his screen.

"The planet?"

"We detected the mining worms all around. Hundreds of them, of many sizes. I believe the planet could be colonized before, but their activity is ruining it." Jaune left a loud groan out as another chance to accomplish the primary mission just escaped his fingers. He cursed the aliens that created those worms under his breath.

"Very well… Coco, Sun, sink that vessel. I don't want the pirates to use it as a trap again. Neptune, we are leaving to the Giraffe system after that. Tell the Marines I want their reports ASAP." Jaune finished his orders when he noticed Nora was calling him. "Anything wrong, Nora?"

" _In a way… Pyrrha is still in her armor, and she is in the training room…_ "

…

"Do it again."

The training drone got up, and attacked the redheaded Marine. Pyrrha easily used her shield to block it and kicked it away before using a series of slashes to hit the drone in its target spots. As the drone fell down, she ordered to repeat the sequence, and once again she dispatched the drone with easy, and she sighed. That wouldn't do, it was too easy. The alien girl defeated her fast and efficiently. She needed to get better.

"Do it again."

"Major, I think you need to rest." Penny said with a concerned voice as once again the Major defeated the drone.

"I am not tired, Penny. Do it again."

"Cancel that order, Penny." They turned to see Jaune entering the training room. The drone got back at his storage and Pyrrha put her weapon away. "Penny, can you give me a moment with the Major?"

"Yes, Captain." Penny turned around and Jaune approached the Marine as she remove her helmet, showing her face covered in sweat. He gave her a towel and signed her to sit at the bench. She did and he sat by her side.

"What is troubling you, Pyr?" he asked in a casual manner, and the girl understood that they weren't talking as officers, but as friends.

"Back in Remnant, I was the 'Invincible Girl', the 'Goddess of Victory', the 'Undefeated Mistralian Champion'. I haven't being defeated in a championship since… I don't even remember since when, but today… I was so easily defeated by that pirate, and she wasn't even wearing a _Hunter_ armor… My Semblance had no effect on her. If we found more enemies like her, what use I would have…" She talked with a defeated tone, but stopped when Jaune put an arm around her, his hand on her shoulder and gently pulled her closer. It surprised her at first, but she relaxed and rested her head on his.

"No one is invincible, even this girl you are talking about, Pyr. The field is different from competitions."

"And that is part of the problem. I am not fit to be in the field anymore…"

"That is ridiculous. Ruby and Weiss also got defeated, and they had being in the field often." Pyrrha cast her emerald eyes on Jaune, and he smiled at her. "I have complete trust on you, Major Nikos. I am sure you will find a way. But! I am ordering you to rest, for at least 24 hours, and I making sure Penny will inform me if you disobey me. Besides, you don't need to fight alone; you have a team, a crew to help you out."

She let his words sink in and nodded. It was true, she wasn't alone in the arena anymore, she could and needed to count with her fellow Marines, the crew at the _Nagato_ , and especially, she knew she could count with her captain. She relaxed and a small smile formed in her face as she kept her head resting on his. That was going for a while until he spoke again.

"You know, this would feel better if you took your armor off." He spoke, and she opened her eyes and straightened, giving him a shocked look… Until she realized her _Hunter_ armor probably wasn't the best to cuddle with someone.

"I am sorry!" She apologized earnestly, and Jaune just chuckled a little.

"Now, I will have Rubes make team exercises with you, but not before you take a bath, eat something and get a good night of sleep." He said with a supportive smile, and she smiled back.

"I will do it, Captain. Thanks, for talking with me."

"I brought you here, Pyr. You can always count on me as I know I can always count on you." He answered and she smiled brightly.

"I will hold you on that, skipper." She said before using the automated arms to remove her armor. Jaune smiled and offered his arm to her.

"I will escort you to your quarters, Major. If you don't mind."

She took his arm and smiled. She knew he could take her anywhere he wanted. She would follow him anywhere.


	11. Undead Fantasies

"Giraffe-5 is completely covered in artificial structures. There are no visible forests, oceans or even mountains. The space between it and its three moons are littered with space ships, stations and artificial satellites. Its natural moons are completed hollowed out and any valuable resource taken. The same goes to all planets and moons in the system." Velvet explained as the planet in question was show in the screen. It was like looking at a grey marble covered in black stripes and copper colored spots.

"And you believe this is the Vareelian home planet, Velvet?" Jaune asked and a close-up image of the planet showed several vessels circling the planet, all similar to the cargo ship they found in possession of Roman and his pirates. "Any answer from the inhabitants of the planet?"

"None. We have being hailing them for six hours now, using the translators Lt. Lie and Sgt. Valkyrie made based on the ones the Marines retrieved, but no answer. Also…" Velvet changed the image for that of the planet in infrared. It was almost all dark with only some very small orange and yellow spots. "The planet heat sources are just those. It is like it is mostly empty."

"So, the Vareelians moved out? Got wiped by a deadly virus and they are all zombies? Forgot to pay the bills?" Jaune asked and got a few laughs from the crew and a blushing Velvet, still unused with the tendency the crew had to joke about everything.

"N-no!… Well, I can't say what happened at all… But the planet orbit is unstable, and it is inching towards the sun. It does have a breathable, if polluted, atmosphere, nothing the filters in the _Hunter's_ helmet can't deal. But as a colony…" She said in a sad tone, and Jaune nodded.

"Well, if they aren't answering the phone, we will knock at their doors. Tell Nora to prepare the fighters, Yang and me are going to pay a visit." Jaune said as he stood up. Velvet looked at him with shock and rushed to gentle hold his arm. Her chocolate eyes were full of worry for her captain.

"Captain! What if they have automated defenses? Or even something worse?"

"This is why we are going in the fighters. If they start shooting, we haul our asses back. Don't worry, Velvet, I won't take any unnecessary risk." He gave her a comforting smile, but she still looked at him with worry.

"So I am going too. I can help with the Vareelians." She said with determination, but Jaune gave her another small smile and gently touched her shoulder, which make her blush even more, but she still kept her eyes on his.

"There is no space in the fighters, Vel, and I want you to be my eyes up here, OK?" She looked at his eyes for a while before diverting her gaze and nodded shyly.

"Maybe she can go on your lap, skipper." Coco shouted with a smirk, making Velvet turn around red as a beet.

"COCO!"

…

"I still think this is a bad idea, captain." Glynda stated as she looked Jaune and Yang prepare to deploy in the docking bay. "You are the captain, so if you should send anyone, it should be me."

"I am going because I am the captain, Commander. It is my job to work as an ambassador too." Jaune answered as he put his helmet on. Glynda was still unconvinced, since the boy still lacked the experience she had.

"So better not take Lt. Xiao Long with you. She is a walking diplomatic incident."

"Hey! I am going so the Vareelians can bask in my beauty!" Yang said as she too put her helmet on.

"Lt. Schnee made clear, overly so, that aliens don't exactly think of our species as pretty, and it is not like they can look under your _Hunter_." Glynda added as she fixed her glasses. If there was one Marine that seemed to love getting in trouble, that one was Yang in the Commander's opinion.

"That is because the pirates didn't see me. Relax, Commander, I will bring our golden boy here back in one piece." Yang winked under her helmet and put an arm around Jaune.

"So you better bring my sister back as well, skipper. I will be SLIGHTLY mad at you if you don't." Ruby stated in a joyful manner while, for some reason, checking her rifle, and Jaune chuckled and nodded.

"Wait, just slightly? And here I thought you loved me, lil sis." Yang shouted and Ruby just showed her tongue to her blonde sister. Sometimes they had trouble believing they were 19 and 21.

"Yeah, yeah, let's get going, Yang. Uncertainty and danger waits!" Jaune commanded and the two laughed as they boarded the fighters. "If I find the gift shop, I will bring something for you all."

"No lousy t-shirts!" Nora yelled from behind her workstation.

…

"Did they just dump all their trash into orbit?" Yang asked as the two fighters skillfully avoided the sea of debris that surrounded the planet bellow. While not dangerous in themselves, they were a pain to dodge.

"We should be grateful they aren't firing at us. In fact, it is kind of weird nothing started firing at us yet." Jaune stated as he moved out of the way of a big satellite and scanned it as he passed. "Most of those things aren't even working anymore."

"Well, do you want to land? We can go to one of those hotspots the bunny pointed out."

"Later. I want to fly around for a while. Let's try entering the atmosphere." Jaune said as he maneuvered close to Yang.

"Well, skipper, how about a bet? Whoever enters the atmosphere first need to grant a small wish to the winner?" She asked over the radio, and Jaune thought about it for a while.

"As long as it isn't against the regulations, why not?"

"That's the spirit."

With that she accelerated and Jaune pursued her, the two ships leaving a trace of shining blue ions behind them as the impulse engines worked. The fighters dodged and veered side to side to escape the thick cloud of space debris, while the two pilots taunted each other with dangerous maneuvers, especially from Yang's side. They separated to avoid a big space station, flying on opposite sides of it and after passing it Yang approached Jaune, their canopies almost touching as she waved at him before accelerating again.

The completion ended as the duo maneuvered to enter the atmosphere, with _Bumblebee_ being the first to enter it. The shields made the air light up in fire as the friction started, but a few seconds later they were flying tin the planet grayish atmosphere.

"I won, skipper. No trying to back off now. I WILL collect my reward when she go back to the _Nagato_." Yang spoke over the radio in an overly cheery, and Jaune just left a nervous chuckle out. He just hoped she wouldn't do anything that would get him in trouble, especially with Glynda. He decided to call the ship.

"Remember I am your superior officer, Lt. Xiao Long. _Nagato_ , here is the advanced team."

" _WHAT YOU TWO WERE DOING_?" Jaune was surprised hearing the voice of Velvet going an octave high as she angrily shouted. " _That was so dangerous_!"

"Calm down, Sgt. Scarlatina. It was perfectly safe." Jaune said sheepishly.

" _You better not do that again, skipper_!" She said with such indignation that the captain felt guilty, while Yang was laughing out loud in her fighter. " _Anyway, Ren ran an initial analysis from the data your fighters sent and told me most of the tech on the planet's orbit is dead, mostly for lack of proper maintenance._ "

"Well, that reinforces the thesis no one's home. We will do some fly-bys around and send you the data. And Vel? Sorry if I worried you."

" _Understood_." She answered back in her soft voice before they ended communication.

"She is like the bunny from that old comedy that looks fluffy and cute then flies on the throats of everyone." Yang said between her laughs.

"Yep, and we don't have holy grenades to keep her away, so better not infuriate Vel anymore." He said and they both laughed a little.

"This is one ugly planet…" Yang commented as she looked at her screen, the camera pointed downwards.

The whole planet was covered in buildings, roads, train tracks and machines, most of them completely shut down, but with no life to speak of, everything was just rusting away, but there was no overgrow to speak off. The fighters approached a city, and all they could see was the copper colored skyscrapers between the black roads beneath. There was not a single sign of life, no trees, no birds, no people, even if everything seemed built for them. The two fighters found no sign of automated defenses or any defense at all.

"It is like they simple destroyed everything natural and covered in concrete and steel…"

"That would explain why they ripped out resources of their neighboring celestial bodies." Jaune wondered as he maneuvered between a set of tall buildings, scanning them. "No life signs around here. Let's go to one of those hot spots Velvet found."

They flew for an hour or so when they saw the tallest building they ever saw, and with little frame of reference, they almost saw it as big as one of the Remnant colonies. It was, as most constructions around, hexagonal in shape, with at least three kilometers high, and its base was at least a kilometer wide on each side, thought it was constructed in levels, like buildings upon buildings, starting from largest to smallest at the top. They flew around, detecting only glass, metal and concrete. There were reactions of a Dust reactor from the bottom, but they couldn't detect any signs of life just with that. As they finished circling it, Yang called Jaune by radio.

"Hey, skipper, does that look like a landing pad for you?" She said as she used a laser aim on her fighter to point it. It was a hexagonal appendix to the sixth level of the building, with several yellow and red marks, and a few blinking lights.

"It looks so, you land first. I will give you cover if anything try to get you."

"What a gentleman." She giggled and proceeded to land. As soon as she opened the canopy she jumped and armed her gauntlets in a defensive manner, but nothing attacked. Jaune landed his fighter side by side with hers soon after and joined her. She noticed he was carrying a rifle with him that she never saw before.

"Oh, you get new gear? Looks like an old model though." She asked as she analyzed the long weapon. It was equipped with a scope, but looked more like an assault rifle than a sniper one.

"It was my grandfather. An old Light Support Weapon of his days as a Marine. It was supposed to be an automatic machine gun, but it proved to be an excellent DMR. So, basically a good joker weapon for all purposes. Ruby and I have being training with it, so don't worry, I won't shoot your butt accidentally." Jaune explained, and he missed Yang's teasing smile beneath her helmet.

"Good, I love my butt and I am sure you do too." Jaune blushed hard, glad the helmet covered his face, but Yang just walked towards the entrance of the building, and he did notice an extra sway on her hips as she walked, and groaned as he couldn't avoid but look. Yang was smiling all the time.

The door that led inside opened automatically, and the blonde duo entered, walking slowly and carefully paying attention over their surroundings. The only signs of activity were the small cleaning robots that occasionally crossed their way. As everything built in that planet, that corridor was hexagonal and copper colored. After a few minutes of walking, they found themselves in what could be defined as the reception of that building. A central table was being operated by a robot hanging from the ceiling. They approached it and the hexagonal face scanned them. It reminded them of the mining worm they first a few weeks ago.

"Welcome to Vareelia Administration Center. I don't identify your species. Can I help you?" The robot said in a gently but very robotic female voice, surprising the blondes.

"Uh… I am Captain Jaune Arc of the _Nagato_ … We are visiting your… lovely planet and were wondering if we could talk with the person in charge." Jaune said, hoping the translator was working properly.

"Ah, Chancellor Glonic. It has being decades since someone came to talk with him. I will check if he is available, please, wait a minute." The robot checked a panel and used small arms to press some buttons. "Please, sit for a minute as we wait for an answer."

Jaune and Yang sat in a small bench, weapons ready and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

"Captain, it has being an hour. This is not a dentist appointment. If I have to wait for one more hour, I will punch that robot into kingdom come!"

"Calm down, Marine. This Chancellor seems to be the head honcho here, so no creating a ruckus. Let's talk with the robot attender again." They approached the robot that 'looked' at them. "Excuse me; is the chancellor busy or something?"

"Oh, sorry. Let me check with him again… Yes, he can't see you right now, and unfortunately he doesn't have an open time to see you. I am very sorry." Yang was about to say something but Jaune contained her.

"You know, this is a pretty building, do you mind if we look around?"

"Of course not! The Vareelia Administration Center is quite a famous touristic spot. I recommend the sky lounge myself in the last floor. Here, visitor passes." The robot gave two hexagonal cards to them. "I will contact you if the Chancellor finds a moment in his busy schedule to receive you. Contact with alien races have being rare in the last decade and visitors even rarer."

Jaune thanked, grabbed the cards and walked to what looked like an elevator with Yang. The hexagonal pod ascended really fast, and an irritating tune kept playing, grating the blonde Marine nerves.

"I swear I will blow this place down, skipper."

"We are not doing that. Not before we talk with this Chancellor guy."

"He doesn't want to talk with us, why should we waste time with him?" Yang questioned in annoyance as she rested her back on the elevator.

"Look, have you seen anyone yet? This is supposed to be the central administration for the whole planet. And the robot said no one have come here in ten years from outside worlds, I would expect them to be a little more excited to contact a new species. Maybe the natives are being enslaved by the machines." Jaune theorized, and despite the bad movie plot theory, Yang could believe it seeing the place first hand.

"If they are as nice as Penny, I would welcome our robots overlords, for once." Jaune chuckled a little, not knowing that action pleased Yang as rare few things could. "Especially if they know how to make a Sunrise Strawberry with a little yellow umbrella on top."

"You know, Marine, I bet you are always the soul of the party."

"Yep, that is me, Yang Xiao Long, Marine extraordinary and hottest girl in all Universe!" She struck a pose and both laughed before the elevator reached the sky lounge. The place was pretty empty, just some benches and the 360º view of the world. Not that anyone would like the view of more copper colored buildings, black streets and long ranges of grey concrete.

" _Nagato_ , do you copy?" Jaune used the radio. After a few seconds the answer came in.

" _Velvet here. Did you meet the aliens? Are they the Vareelians?_ "

"This is Vareelia alright, but their boss refused to talk with us, and we didn't found anyone else to talk except a robot. Can you scan to see if there is life in this building?"

" _I will use your fighters and Hunter sensors combined with our long range ones, wait a minute…_ " They did just that, and Jaune checked his gun one more time, while Yang stretched a little. "Found a few life signs thirty floors below you, but they are kind of weak. What you plan to do?"

"Lt. Xiao Long and I will pay them a visit. We will try to not destroy anything. Or everything." Jaune answered as he stared at Yang, and she just gestured in fake indignation. The captain finished the conversation. "I doubt those passes will get us there. Alternatives?"

"Have you ever rappelled before, skipper?" Yang asked and Jaune left out a nervous groan out.

Yang moved to the window and punched it off, surprising Jaune. She planted two spikes at the ground and attached two thin metallic ropes, and threw them outside. Then she proceeded to attach one of them to her belt, and prompted her captain to do the same. Jaune followed suit and the two soon started descending to the floor Velvet indicated to be the one where the Vareelians were. When they finally arrived, Jaune signalized he would go first, and Yang nodded.

The captain swung away first, then Yang and he fired his gun breaking the glass and entering first, hardlight shield ready. He was glad to have it as security robots fired against him, but Yang came soon after, jumping Jaune's shoulder and punching away the robots while the other blonde provided cover fire. After dispatching the drones, they arrived to a big space full of chairs and tables in an amphitheater arrange, and it crossed on their heads it was some type of parliament. They moved towards the door at the end but from the ground the worm-like robot from the reception appeared.

"You are not allowed here. You will be… TERMINATED."

From the ground came several mechanical limbs that attached to it, and it changed to an insect like form. Jaune and Yang spared a stare between before they started attacking, Jaune providing cover fire while. The robot proved to be far more agile than expected, and using its 'tail' it threw Yang against the chairs. Jaune put his gun away and used his hardlight shield and sword to attack, blocking a mechanical claw and cutting another off. The robot shrieked and grabbed him, slamming Jaune against the floor and then against a wall. The blonde boy stayed down as the robot menacingly approached it. But the robot stopped as Yang grabbed its 'tail'

Her visor was glowing in an ominous, threatening red. Her Semblance was active.

"You. Hurt. My. Captain. You. DIE!" She growled in anger as the servomotors of her _Hunter_ made loud sounds.

Then she spun the robot with easy, throwing it against the wall opposite to Jaune. The robot got up soon after and tried to punch her, but Yang easily held the mechanical claw with her hand, and started to break it with the sheer strength of the _Hunter's_ servomotors. The robot tried to punch with another claw but she got that too, and pushed the robot towards her before kicking it in the 'face', ripping the two arms in the process. She proceeded to beat the robot with its own claws.

The robot jumped back and fired a grenade, forcing her to jump back for a few meters, and using that chance the alien machine jumped against her. Yang was faster, though, and punched it in the face, activing the canons in her gauntlets, firing a Dust round that penetrated the length of the robot before exiting the end of it in a fiery blaze. As the robot fell on the ground she calmed down and rushed to where Jaune was.

"Captain!" She approached and helped him up as he groaned a little. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah, just a bit groggy. I never was so grateful for those damned armors than now. How are you?"

"Using my diplomatic skills to deal with murder robots. The usual." She teased and Jaune laughed a little. The sound of his laughs made her calm down completely and leave a small sigh of relief.

"I am taking you with me more often. Now, how about we see what is behind door number one?"

Jaune grabbed his gun again, and followed Yang as the two walked towards the door. She pressed the button and opened it, and cold air and a thin fog came from the room.

That was not what they expected to see.

There were thirty or so creatures there, the Vareelians they imagined, and they were strapped to medical beds, tubes and wires coming from their bodies. They were small, no bigger than toddlers, except by their huge heads. The skin was pale and they could see the blood vessels beneath the thin skin. They all looked doped, and breathed very slowly, the only indication they were alive. Several monitors showed their physical condition, though neither one in the blonde duo could read it. They lowered their weapons and walked around, and noticed some monitors had images like a movie instead of medical data. Yang found one where the Vareelian was represented as a muscular and tall person with long silver hair, dresses as some type of fantasy warrior saving what appeared to be females of their species. Other was a rock star, and other one seemed like a spy.

"What in all hell is this?" She shouted, and Jaune took a minute to wonder.

"Fantasies."

"Fantasies?"

"Those machines… they are controlling their mental activity. Creating a virtual world where those creatures can live their fantasies while keeping them alive. Probably to them it is as real as the real world, since it is affecting their conscious brain areas directly. They probably don't even know we are here, nor the condition they are… Or the fact they are living in a doomed planet." Jaune explained, and Yang needed a minute to process it all.

"So, they trapped themselves in a dream and left their machines to take care of the world?"

"The pirates Ruby found other day said they were like this. I think… The planet, they changed the planet so it could support their… life style. And in the process they transformed the planet in one big machine so they could never leave their ideal world." Yang growled in anger with that explanation.

"This, is not living, skipper. This isn't even death. They are undead, zombies trapped in their dumb fantasies. Turning those machines off would be a favor for them." She approached a terminal with the intention to punch it, but Jaune held her.

"Look at them. They don't have muscles anymore. They can't live without being strapped to the machines. Turning them off would kill them."

"So, we leave them like this? Let them wait for the day their planet will burn in the sun?" Yang asked as she calmed down a little.

"Sadly, that is what we will do. They did this to themselves, Yang."

"Well, I hope they are happy. Their little fantasies doomed them."

"Look at their faces, Yang. Do you think they are really happy?" The blonde girl looked at the pained expression they held. She stopped feeling angry at them, to pity them; trapped in a fantasy they couldn't escape even if they wished.

…

"OK, I am giving you an order. What is bothering you?" Jaune asked as the fighters left the atmosphere to return to the _Nagato_. Yang said not a word until that moment and that worried her captain.

"Nothing." She answered in almost a whisper, but her tone clear said it was something.

"If you don't answer me, I will tell Ruby to pester you till you talk."

"You are evil!" She answered in a half-shout, but calmed down and spoke her mind. "It is just… They gave up real life. They are the worst type of cowards…"

"I wonder. Would any of us be able to resist living in a perfect world that felt exactly like the real one if we got the opportunity?"

"When I was six… When I was six I discovered that Ruby's mom wasn't my mom too. I finally discovered my real mom disappeared while testing the FTLRSS-5. I become obsessed in finding her, to the point I was always trying to sneak inside Project Beacon to find any info. I stopped living my life for two years so I could find a clue about my mom. In one of those attempts, Ruby followed me and we got stuck in a service pipe. It took a day for our dad to find us, and my little sister almost died. I swear that day I would stop wasting my life just searching for an answer that might never come. When the project opened for volunteers, I did accept it so I could find clues about whatever happened to mom. But I swear to myself to never, ever let it take control of my life, that I wouldn't lose any other moment with my family and friends."

"And seeing the Vareelians reminded you of that part of your life." Jaune concluded, and Yang consented.

"I realized all I lost in those two years. They probably never will. They will die because they couldn't let go. I won't end like them. I won't let a dream stop me of living." She swore once again to herself.

"Well, that is good to hear. Look, if we cross with clues of whatever happened to your mother, I promise to investigate it. But our mission will always take priority. But you can always talk to me if something bothers you. I might be an awful talker, but I am a good listener."

"This is all I can ask for. Thanks, Jaune." She answered back, and she was happy he couldn't see her crying.

…

"Welcome back! Did you find the gift shop?" Nora asked as Yang jumped off her fighter.

"Sorry, Nora. It was a tourist trap. They didn't even have a bar." Yang answered with a smile, and Nora shrugged before returning to her work.

"Oh well, maybe next stop they will have one. One with cute little dolls!" Nora said in her energetic state as she started messing with some machine, and Yang laughed at that.

"I am just glad you are both safe. I am eager to hear your report." Velvet stated as she also welcomed them back. Yang gave a sad stare at her friend for a second.

"It won't be what you expect, bunny. Oh, here comes the skipper. I have a bet to collect." The blonde Marine approached the captain as he removed his helmet, grabbed his collar and planted a sweet, quick peck on his lips, closing her eyes on his, she smiled softly and pushed him away, making him fall on his back and look at her in shock. "Thanks for the talk. The bet is paid, by the way. But maybe we can repeat it another time."

She winked at a blushing Jaune and walked away, while Weiss followed her to chastise the playful blonde over her actions. Velvet blushed terrible but helped Jaune up, all the time staring at his lips, dreaming of having the courage to do the same, but her shy nature holding her back. Jaune just stood there too shocked to think properly.

But for Yang that felt amazing. And she was glad that she accepted that mission, not only for the opportunity to find her mother, but also for an opportunity to keep living her own life.


	12. Sunk

"And here we are; the Hippo system. Not that there is much to see anyway." Neptune commented as the _Nagato_ left warp and drifted freely around their new destination.

"The Hippo system consist of only one big white star, ten times bigger than our sun, and one lonely planet, thankfully it is in the life zone. There are a great number of celestial bodies, from small as a tennis ball and as big as our ship." Velvet added to her summary, and the screen showed the only planet in the system. The planet was all shades of blue covered in white clouds. "Only slightly bigger than ours, covered in water, initial… Captain, we are being hailed…"

"From the planet?" Jaune asked as he stiffened in his chair and turned to look at Velvet.

"No sir… Spaceships close to our position." Velvet explained hastily, and Jaune nodded, putting the ship in yellow alert just in case, especially considering their prior record with alien contacts.

"Pass them through." He ordered, and velvet did as asked. On the screen appeared an ugly alien that looked like he was a melting chocolate bar with small red eyes and a big mouth.

"Here is Admiral Plyout from the Cavirn Imperial Forces. You have thirty seconds to identify yourselves before we take action against this illegal entry in one of our star systems." He said in a voice that sounded like he had water on his mouth. Jaune was about to answer when Velvet called him again.

"Captain, another fleet of ships is hailing us…" He looked surprised and signalized to put them in conference. The new alien was insect-like with green plates over its body and big pink eyes.

"Here is Admiral Cass from the Overtan Republic. You are trespassing a system belonging to us. Identify yourself or we will open fire in thirty seconds." This one had a feminine voice and its antennae moved as it talked. Jaune was about to answer but the first alien cut him.

"Get out you damned insect! This system belongs to us and if anyone is going to deal with intruders is us of the Empire!" The melting-like alien shouted, and for a second the _Nagato's_ crew thought he was drowning.

"This systems belong to us, mud-creep! You should get out before we destroy you!" The insect alien shrieked, and her voice now was like chalk on a blackboard.

"We are destroying the intruders, get out of our way!"

"You get out!"

"Sir, they are coming at us! They are locking their weapons on us!" Neptune warned, and Jaune got the ship on red alert immediately, wondering why every alien race in the galaxy seemed to be out to get them.

"Velvet, try to contact them!" Jaune asked his officer.

"They aren't answering!" She shouted back, making him left a groan out.

"How long before they are in range for our weapons?" Jaune asked as the ship got into battle mode.

"Five minutes, sir!" Coco said as she checked her terminal.

"Neptune, get us out of here! I won't be caught between two warring races!" Jaune ordered, but Neptune looked back with a weird look on his face that Jaune didn't liked.

"Can't engage the warp drive, it needs ten minutes to cool down!" He answered and Jaune cursed his luck again.

"Can we outrun them?"

"No sir, their ships are significantly faster!" Neptune shouted as he checked his radar screen. "Seven ships on each side, none bigger than us but they compensate it with numbers!"

"Let me see them!" Jaune saw the ships on the main screen. They all had unique formats, but he noticed all of them lacked something the _Nagato_ had. "We are going to the planet. Neptune, push us between them, evasive maneuvers all the way. Coco, Sun, try to take down as many of those assholes you can along the way."

"Sir?" Neptune asked in fear since that sounded like a suicidal maneuver if he ever heard of one.

"Their ships can't do atmospheric flight, we can. They won't pursue us there, so we might get enough time to cool down the warp engine. Once we can warp, we are hailing ass!" Jaune quickly explained in his very commanding voice, and Neptune just did that. As he accelerated the ship, Glynda entered the bridge.

"Sir, we never really tested the Nagato's air flight capabilities." Ren warned, surprising the Commander.

"You aren't planning to… You are!" She shouted in surprise. What was a surprise in itself considering all unorthodox maneuver she already saw them doing.

"Everyone, buckle up, this will be rough!" Jaune shouted at the intercom, and the ship started its race to the planet.

The two alien fleets were apparently surprised as it took a few seconds between _Nagato's_ actions and their reactions. It was a mistake they paid when Jaune's ship fired against them, destroying one ship of each fleet along the way. The alien ships answered the fire, but Neptune showed his skills as he elegantly but precisely avoided the first round of enemy fire. The _Nagato_ now was exactly between the two fleets, and fired again; taking hits on ships from both sides. The approaching enemies fired again, and this time some shots hit their ship, but the shields held up. Luck decided to be by Jaune's side for a moment and the crossfire made the alien fleets hit each other.

Apparently the hate they had for each other was bigger than any they had for the _Nagato_ , as most of the enemy fleet started to fight each other. But the two biggest ships were still on pursuit, firing against them as Coco and Sun fired back, trying to get them out of their tails.

"Sun, fire the flares! Let's try to get some time!" Jaune ordered as the _Nagato_ shook every time a shot connected to their shields.

Calling them flares was actually an old relic of a weapon with the same purpose that existed since they still lived in the planet. Sun launched the two spheres, and they created several effects once activated. The first and more prominent was a big flash of light, in an attempt to blind visual. Then it generated both a gravitational field, a heat signature and magnetic distortion, all in an attempt to thwart any incoming weapon or vessel.

Apparently it worked at first as the two pursuing ships stopped for a few seconds, before giving pursuit again. Jaune was a bit relieved as they were coming close to the planet, ready to enter its atmosphere, when the _Nagato_ shook violently.

"Ren!"

"They used some type of microwave beam! Its reach is beyond any weapon we have! The main ionic engine is gone!" The engineer answered from his panel as he desperately tried to fix whatever he could from there.

"Coco! Missiles! I want those bastards off our tails! Neptune, can you land the ship with the auxiliary engines?"

"Land? The planet is all water!" Neptune questioned as he wrestled the controls.

"The _Nagato_ can work underwater too! Just tell me you can avoid us blowing up!" Jaune shouted and Neptune checked the controls.

"It will be very, very rough. But I can do it!"

"Captain! This is too dangerous!" Glynda shouted from her seat.

"I am open for ideas! None? Coco!"

"Right away skipper!" The gunner answered as the Nagato fired four missiles from its back towards the enemy ships. Two of them were taken down by their artillery, but the other two explode on their hulls, making them stop the pursuit.

Neptune maneuvered the ship to put it in position for entry, closing its gun ports and folding their main cannons back, and as they were caught by the gravitational pull, the _Nagato_ shook even more. The ship was able to withstand the attrition, but the air flight was far from smooth, as they veered sideways as their pilot tried to make the ship go straight. A trail of smoke came from the back as the ocean bellow approached.

"Prepare for impact!" Neptune yelled and them the _Nagato_ hit the water and sunk down.

…

"Ugh… Is everyone alright?" Jaune asked as he fixed his position on his chair and looked around, to see everyone groaning and positioning themselves back on their stations. Apparently everyone was confused but not visible wounded. "Ren, diagnostics?"

"Only damage is the main ionic engine. No hull damage, no structural damage, no ocean trying to enter." He said as he finished the checks, happy the ship withstand so well what probably would have destroyed any other ship.

"Penny, anyone of the crew is hurt?" Jaune asked the AI, and after a minute it answered.

" _Everyone is alright, but Lt. Schnee wants to end your existence_."

"She says that but she never do. OK, I want everyone in your _Hunters_ all time until we can escape this situation. Coco, Sun, keep any weapon that can be fired underwater ready, if those bastards decide to come after us. Ren, take Nora and Penny and check the damage to the ionic engine. We will warp as soon as possible."

"That won't be so soon." Ren stated, and Jaune gave him an inquiring look. "The gravity of the planet interferes with it, it is impossible to warp when in its gravitational range. And we can't escape it just with the auxiliary engines."

"So, we are trapped here until you and Nora fix it, IF you can fix it?"

"Yes, that is pretty much it." Ren answered, and Jaune gave an ironic smile while wanting to kill every single alien in that system.

"Sorry about this, people, but I need to vent a little." He then proceeded to shout the vilest, grossest and dirtiest insults any of them have ever heard. Velvet was blushing madly and used her bunny ears to cover her human ears. Glynda just looked in shock at the usual gently man yelling obscenities against the aliens, while Coco had the biggest smirk ever.

…

The _Nagato_ was a few hundred meters at the bottom of the ocean, but due to the bright star even there was very illuminated. They landed in an algae field, where green and orange algae grew as tall as any of them. Several fish schools swam lazily above them, while crabs walked between the algae. Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren and Nora were at the back of the Nagato checking the main ionic engine wearing their _Hunters_ with the underwater pack. It gave them the capacity of extracting the air dissolved in the water and swim using small propellers on their sides. There was a big hole on it, and Jaune was worried.

"So?" he asked as Nora and Ren approached them.

"We can totally fix it! Piece of pancake!" Nora happily said.

"But it will take a few days." Ren added, and Jaune sighed hard.

"Great. At the bottom of an alien ocean with two warring alien factions above us and a flat tire. I want you and Penny working as fast as humanly possible… In your case, Penny, as fast as Ren and Nora can follow. We don't know if there are dangerous creatures, so I want two Marines patrolling the area at all times." Jaune ordered and they all started working.

…

"So, what the assholes are doing?" Jaune asked Velvet as he returned to the bridge, and the bunny girl blushed remembering the swearing. Never crossed her head that her crush could swear like that.

"T-the aliens are on orbit, sir, but no hostile attitude. In fact, I think they don't have the ways to locate us, considering they are just randomly flying around the planet." She showed it on his screen. "Besides, every time two ships get too close they just fire at one another."

"Maybe we get lucky and those shitheads will kill one another."

"S-sir, I would a-appreciate if you used a more proper language." Velvet blushed and said in a whisper, hoping to not offend the captain. He laughed though, and she felt relieved.

"Sorry Vel, being blow up from space just makes my mood sour. You know what; I will assume your post, go outside and discover the local wild life." Her eyes sparkled, and her smile grew wider than Jaune imagined possible as she get out of her seat, did a few small jumps, hugged him, kissed his cheek and rushed through the door, leaving a surprised captain behind. "There goes one happy girl."

"And you got a kiss, win-win, skipper." Coco teased and chuckled as she noticed Jaune blushed harder. She would remember to tell Velvet of this.

…

Velvet was happily swimming around as she catalogued every little critter in the middle of the algae, sparing a few seconds between her research to watch Nora, Ren and Penny working on the ship's engine, and Ruby and Weiss patrolling around, with the younger Marine happily playing with everything around while the white haired one kept protesting about everything. Velvet giggled a little and followed a big crab-like creature between the algae, a bit too absented minded.

That was when she crossed with a big fish-like creature, making her jump back surprised.

The creature was very long and thin, with big fins on its back and sides, four of them large and wide at the front and back of its body. It had several whiskers around its face, thick and long like antennae, but its big eyes and small mouth gave it a friendly appearance. Its skin was the same color of the algae, and was more like dolphin skin than fish. It just stared at the bunny girl with a curious expression.

"You scared me." Velvet said over the radio absently minded.

"Sorry, dear. I never saw a creature like you before." Velvet's eyes widened as she received the answer over radio, and the creature appeared to smile at her, then circled the girl a few times, making her very nervous. The creature had a feminine voice, but spoke the words very stretched and whistled. "Are you one of the sky swimmers that have being around for a few springs now?"

"What… No, we just arrived. A-actually, t-they attacked us and we w-were forced to l-land on your planet…" Velvet answered trying her best to not squeal in excitement for doing the first contact with an alien space. At least, one that counted.

"Ah, I see. Sadly your mother is resting on our fields, and we would like for her to move."

"My mother?" Velvet asked puzzled.

"Yes, the big black fish you came from." The alien answered with an understanding smile.

"Ah, I-I see. I t-think it is better for the C-Captain to talk with you… My name is Velvet, yours?"

"Magrad."

"OK, Magrad, let's go back to my… m-mother, so you can speak with our leader." Velvet said and signalized to be followed, and Magrad seemed as excited as the bunny girl in meeting the mysterious creatures that landed on her algae field.

…

"And that is our story, Magrad. We are sorry we affected your fields, even if unintentional." Jaune said as he sat with Velvet and Pyrrha on the top of the Nagato, with Magrad floating close to them.

"It is unfortunate that those sky swimmers did such a thing to your… ship, Jaune from Arc. So you are trying to swim back to the skies?"

"Yes, we are fixing our ship so we can resume searching a home for our people."

"I see, I see. Listen, my village is close by, and my leader want to share a word with you, if that is possible. I promise we won't hurt you or your family." Magrad said with a big nod of her front.

"Very well, do you mind if two of my… family come along? Velvet is curious about your people, and Pyrrha is a bit overprotective." Velvet almost squealed of happiness, while Pyrrha blushed a little. She wasn't being overprotective; she was just protecting her captain, friend and love interest. Not that she would ever admit that.

"It will be no problem, Jaune from Arc. Pyrrha from Nikos and Velvet from Scarlatina are welcome to come along to our village. We are a peaceful people, so there won't be a problem." Magrad said once again, making big nods with the front of her long body.

"Nora, Ren keep working so we can take our ship from the top of Magrad's farm. Commander, keep an eye on our unfriendly sky swimmers. I don't want them coming and ruining the party." Jaune and the two girls left swimming by Magrad's side.

Magrad was serious when she called her village such, as several coral made huts could be seen, and many creatures like her swam peacefully around, tending to their huts and other structures erected in the middle of it. There were at least two hundred people, and a few dozen huts, and they all eyed the newcomers with curiosity. The trio swam till they reached what was the middle of the village and waited as Magrad said she would get their leader.

It didn't take long for her to come back, followed by the largest one of the people around them, probably their leader. It had a bigger face and more antennae around it, and looked old and wise while eyeing Jaune and his crew.

"I am Marada, leader of this village. Welcome. Magrad told me you are from the… ship that fell on her fields." Apparently all of those creatures were able to create natural radio waves as a way to communicate. Jaune repeated to Marada the story of how and why they were there, and the big creature closed her eyes and listened intently. After Jaune finished, she opened her eyes again. "You claim to be explorers, but you do carry weapons."

"Only to defend ourselves. We would rather make friends than fight." Jaune answered, and apparently that pleased Marada as she did something akin to a smile with her face.

"And you promise to leave once your ship can swim again?"

"Yes. We have no intention of bringing you any trouble or interfere with your people."

"Would you stay here until your ship is able to swim if I asked?" Marada had a serious expression, but Jaune didn't hesitate.

"Yes." Velvet and Pyrrha shoot concerned stares at him, but he either ignored or didn't take notice.

"I need time to consider. You sound honest in your words, Jaune from Arc. All my people want is to live in peace, but you are new, and new things bring new troubles. I ask of you to stay here for a while as I retire to consider what I have being told." With that Mara returned to her hut, and Jaune eyed his friends before shrugging and sitting on a nearby rock.

"They aren't shooting at us, I call this progress." He joked, but Pyrrha and Velvet just sighed and sat by his side. It didn't take long before many young ones came to them asking for stories of other worlds. They spent a few hours on that until they heard a long, distressed whistle, and every one rushed inside the huts. Magrad called for them.

"Hide! The snatcher is coming!" She urged and they entered the rather spacious hut with Magrad and some of the young ones through a complex passage with many dead ends.

"What is this snatcher?" Velvet asked as she readied her rail gun. The others also readied their weapons.

"That is the snatcher!" Magrad pointed with one of her fins to what was approaching and they could see it from the small openings in the coral hut.

It was a colossal squid-like creature covered in red and blue stripes, with long tentacles ended in sharp fangs, three big blue eyes surrounding the middle of its body. The creature cast a shadow over the village, and its many tentacles squirmed down the water, and entered the huts, likely trying to catch the inhabitants, explaining both the name and their fear of it. They all waited, hoping the creature would miss them and leave. But as they watched one of the tentacles entered the hut and grabbed one of the young ones by its tail, his scream calling Jaune's attention.

The captain rushed with his hardlight sword drawn and stabbed the tentacle, forcing the creature to release the young one, but then it wrapped itself around Jaune and pushed him out of the hut breaking many of its coral structure.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Jaune yelled as he tried to get free of the snatcher.

The creature eyed the mysterious being it snatched, some type of shellfish it imagined considered the hard exterior. It didn't mattered for the snatcher, as it moved it towards its mouth between its tentacles, a series of sharp, hard black teeth that would crunch the shell as easy as it crunched bones. But the creature released it when a spear perforated one of its eyes, and it turned to see two other shellfishes.

"Captain!" Pyrrha yelled as she used her Semblance to retrieve the spear.

"I am fine! Velvet, try to kill it with the rail gun!" He ordered as he got out of the way. Velvet fired her gun and the bullet heated the water leaving a series of white bubbles along the way as it pierced one other eye. The creature trashed around, its heavy tentacles hitting the roof of some of the huts. "Pyrrha, Velvet, open fire!"

Pyrrha changed her spear to carbine form and fired again, as did Velvet and Jaune. Three more rounds of Dust rounds and the snatcher stopped trashing and sunk, just squirming a little, its remaining eye turning white as dark blood escaping from its wounds changed the water's color. The three soldiers approached it with caution, and Jaune poked it a little with his sword. It was dead, and he left a relieved groan out.

Then there was a series of happy whistles as the locals got out of their hut and approached the dead creature. The young ones started to devour it, and Jaune was happy they couldn't see his face right now as he was grossed by the attitude.

"You killed it! For too long it came to devour our young ones, and you killed it! We will feast on its corpse!" Magrad said as she joined the youngsters and another in eating the giant squid.

"We are thankful for your help, strangers from a faraway ocean. And now we call you all friends, and offer to you a reward for your help." Marada said as she approached. "Follow me."

…

"So, can we use them, Ren?" Jaune asked over the radio as they arrived where Marada brought them. Two alien ships rested at the bottom of the ocean, ships from the two armies fighting in space. Apparently they sunk each other, and their remains rested in a sand bank a little east from the village.

" _I will have to check them up close, but by its state, I believe we might be able to salvage a few things_." Ren answered and Jaune smiled. That was something, at least.

"OK, come here when you can, let Nora and Penny fixing the engine." He ended talking with Ren and turned to Marada. "Thanks for showing us this. We are indebted to you."

"Your debt was paid when you slayed that creature, Jaune from Arc. You and your family are friends to my people." She answered, and Jaune had a proud smile underneath his helmet.

…

"They are doing what?" Jaune asked Cmdr. Goodwitch when he returned to the _Nagato_. In the main screen he saw several red dots covering the planet.

"They are deploying mines around the planet. Since they probably can't come after us, they are making sure we can't leave, at least not unnoticed." Glynda explained, and Jaune growled a little.

"OK, I officially hate those guys. Can we pass through it, Coco?"

"Tiny targets, it will be hard. Besides, I bet those things are seekers too. Get too close of one, and all of them will swarm your position." She said as she looked over her sunglasses.

"Ren, tell me you have good news for me." Jaune asked his engineer, and he gave a rare smile.

"We were able to retrieve two useful things from the downed alien ships. One is a type of ionic coil that will increase our overall speed, and Nora and Penny are installing it as they fix the engine, which will be online in two days. The other is this…" He showed two long structures on the screen. "Long range MASERs."

"MASER?" Jaune inquired.

"Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. It is what hit our engine; think of it as a sniper canon. We now have two of them and I can convert them to work with _Nagato's_ weapon systems." Ren explained and Jaune nodded. "And… I can use it to spread a microwave frequency that might detonate those mines from long range."

"So we will blow them up like popcorn?" Jaune wondered and Ren nodded. "Good, tell me when we can execute this plan. I am eager to return the favor to those alien bastards."

…

Four days passed before all the repairs and modifications on the _Nagato_ were done. Jaune was impressed with how fast and efficiently Ren and Nora worked together. The MASER canons were installed in the inner side of the warp engines, while the ionic engines were fixed and ready to be used.

The rest of their stay was peaceful, as Marada's people were always coming and going curious about the aliens in their algae fields. Velvet had a field week registering not only alien species, but a whole alien culture, and was almost heartbroken when the day of departure came. Many of the aquatic people also manifested the sadness of seeing their new friends going away, especially since there was no day for them to return, if ever. After bidding farewell to each other, Jaune and Marada returned to their jobs as leaders of their people, and the _Nagato_ finally left the field.

"OK, let's do this. Commander, where are the alien ships?" He asked as he sat on his chair once again.

"They received reinforcements, so there are nine ships on each side now. They are spread out, circling the planet." She showed on the screen. Jaune noticed the two biggest ships were close to each other.

"Nora, status report."

"Everything is working! We can get out there and kick some alien butt!"

"So, what is the plan?" Neptune asked as the ship approached the surface. Jaune checked the radar screen again.

"We use the MASERs to open a path on the mind field… Here." He chose to get out close to the two alien motherships. "We will just go as fast as we can to the closest warp point and get out to the next system. But if anything gets too close, wipe them off."

Coco, Sun and Neptune exchanged looks, and the helmsman started the ascending procedure, inclining the _Nagato_ with its bow pointing up. A few minutes later and the ship rose above the water and they started the main engine, quickly gaining altitude. Once they were above the clouds, Coco fired the MASER canons, leaving a white trail of electromagnetic energy. The microwaves did as expected, and made the mines in orbit explode in a sequential effect, opening a path to the ship to fly through unscathed.

"Sir, the aliens are trying to contact us." Glynda said and Jaune smirked evilly.

"Tell the SOBs to go fuck themselves. Neptune, as soon as we can warp just do it. Coco and Sun, I want no alien ship getting close to us." Jaune ordered and the crew did as commanded.

The two alien motherships accelerated in pursuit, but the improved ionic engines proved to put the _Nagato_ at the same speed as them. The enemies fired, and coco and Sun returned fire while Neptune evaded all of the incoming shots. The two ships readied their MASER canons ad fired at almost the same time. The _Nagato_ warped a few seconds before they could be hit, and the MASER beams crossed empty space… In the direction of the enemy vessels.

…

"Velvet, go to sleep." Jaune ordered as the bunny girl kept typing on her scroll, even after her shift ended. It came to a point that Coco asked his help to make her friend stop writing about the people of the Hippo system and rest a little.

"But we finally made a successful first contact! They were so interesting, a whole way of life adapted for living underwater and…" Jaune gently put his hand over her mouth.

"And you have time to write your report, later. But right now I am worried you are overworking, and if you don't want me to order Doc to use some tranquilizers, you will go to sleep. That is an order, Sergeant."

"Aye aye, captain…" she said weakly. "Do you think we will cross with those belligerent aliens again?"

"I am so sure we will it is not even funny. But I do hope our next contact will be less… belligerent, and for that I want my communications officer and exobiologist on top condition, OK?" He said in his usual gentle tone, and Velvet smiled at him. "Good. Coco, if she tries to write under the sheets, shoot the scroll."

"Yes, sir!" Coco saluted and laughed as Velvet pouted towards her, putting the scroll away.


	13. Strip Omake 1

"Is this... real food?" Ruby asked as she touched what was in her plate with a fork.

"The Hippolians were nice enough to give us some seafood. Doc already said all of this is edible and I test drove it." Jaune reassured as he finished serving the grilled fish to everyone. Blake didn't wait to take a bite. As soon as she put it in her mouth she started purring, and everyone eyed her in surprise as she ignored the stares and kept eating.

"This can't be this good!" Weiss protested as she took a bite of her food, her face mellowing immediately. "My life is now complete and I have no more regrets."

"You all stop being dramatic. Sadly we couldn't carry as much as we wanted, but it does taste way better than the fake stuff." Jaune added as he sat and started eating, followed by everyone else, all surprised how real food tastes.

"At least we were able to refill our vats with organic matter." Goodwitch commented, trying her best to not show how much she was enjoying the food.

"And we did a nice upgrade on our ship! Maybe next time we can add a giant robot mode to punch other ships in the face and a frozen yogurt machine!" Nora added her two cents, and once again they weren't sure what she was being serious about and what not.

"Talking about them, we aren't going to explode due to putting alien tech on our ship, will we? I mean, it is like trying to put a shotgun round in a sniper rifle." Yang said, and Ruby left a small squeak out, and everyone wondering if she has tried that already.

"We are constantly monitoring the new additions, and everything is working as intended." Penny added as she sat with the crew as always. It would be a few days before they finished the warp, so they were relaxing a little.

"Hey, Jauney, how's the music?" Dr. Verd asked and Jaune hummed the quite romantic tune he was hearing at the moment, unaware quite a few members of the crew had hearts on their eyes as he did. "At least whoever is singing is varying the repertory."

"With my luck, it is like the sirens in old legend and it is some half fish half woman entity that wants to drown me." Jaune commented.

"I know exactly what I want to do with you." Yang answered and Weiss immediately hit her ribs. "Ouch! This is not funny anymore, princess!"

"At least we agree with something!" Weiss snarled back.

"Well, since we are all trapped in this warp for a few days, why not we all take a day off? Penny can keep an eye on everything AND take a day off at the same time." Jaune commented, and Penny nodded happily.

"The advantages of being a dual-core." Everyone laughed a little, till the captain noticed a certain feline crewmember eyeing him and his grilled fish. It was the biggest, hardest to resist eye he ever saw, and he sighed while he gave the rest to Blake. The girl nodded slightly and started eating the fish happily.

"Does this count as an indirect kiss or just when people drink from the same cup like Ruby does with Jaune-Jaune all the time?" Nora asked making Ruby, Jaune and Blake blush madly.

"Those are all accidents and I only discovered this thing about indirect kiss from you!" Ruby shouted from her seat, while Nora just giggled.

"I-indirect k-kiss?" Velvet murmured, but Coco took notice.

"You know what is better than an indirect kiss? A very direct one." The brunette commented, making the bunny blush and steam coming from her ears.

"I think we had enough of that. So, tonight is game night, whose turn it is to choose a game?" Jaune asked, and the tension descended at the table, as one by one they all stared at the person whose turn was to choose the game, and they all remembered that there was no god, only the cold emptiness of death.

Yang was the one to choose the game and started laughing evilly.

…

"Captain Arc, I demand you to forbid this game!" Glynda said as they prepared the table at the mess hall for a friendly game of... Truth or Strip.

"Come on, it will be fun! We all know Penny can't play any game that involves logic since she is a computer, literally. This way she can participate and we all will all have fun!" Yang proclaimed as she prepared her scroll. The rules were simple: the fifteen crewmembers would write a question, usually a very personal one, in the scroll, and Yang would read the question. You could answer it or remove a piece of clothing. "Come on, there are fifteen of us and we use seven standard pieces of clothing. You don't have to remove any… As long as you answer honestly, and I have a lie detector in my scroll. You lie; you remove two pieces of clothes."

"This is ridiculous." Glynda and Weiss said at the same time.

"Look, we all agreed with the gaming night rules. All games are valid as long as they don't endanger the ship or the crew. Otherwise we would have difficulty finding people to play certain games, like your very own baccarat." Jaune justified, and Glynda didn't anything as she loved baccarat despite the uncultured crew dislike for the game.

"Fine, since we all agreed to it anyway." She relented, and Yang fist bumped the air.

"So, here the seven standard pieces of clothing: jacket, shoes, socks, pants, undershirt, bra and panties. If you don't wear a bra, we count the shoes individually." Now start inputting the questions. And do your very worst!"

Most wouldn't even dare putting questions, but considering half the crew wanted to get revenge on the other half for pranks, and many wanted to get Yang over her teasing, and there was a few that really wanted to see part of crew with as naked as possible, especially a certain blonde, they indeed put the most daring questions on the scroll.

"OK, let's start. Choosing a question at random… 'First kiss'. Aww, that is sweet. Mine was when I was thirteen with a cute pink haired girl in combat school." Yang answered truthfully.

"Never being kissed." Blake said and she glared Yang before she could answer. "And no, I don't want to fix it."

"IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" Ruby yelled all of sudden.

"YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO TELL!" Weiss answered back and everyone glared at the two girls.

"OK? Mine was Claire on the first day in combat school." Neptune answered with a proud smile.

"Wait, I kissed Claire in the first day of combat school too!" Sun shouted and the two boys noticed they both were saying the truth. "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! I INDIRECTLY KISSED YOU!"

"Is that how this works?" Blake questioned.

"It is now." Yang retorted, laughing loudly.

"Combat school, Aqua, cute Faunus girl." Jaune said on his turn, making Velvet blush in happiness as Jaune wasn't against kissing Faunus girls, while Pyrrha and Yang lamented don't having his first kiss.

"Uh. Easy! Renny!" Nora giggled enthusiastic. Ren blushed terrible.

"It was an accident." He explained.

"So not was!" Nora grinned making him blush harder.

"Never being kissed…" Pyrrha answered shyly, but eyeing Jaune.

"You should kiss Blake and fix that." Yang grinned.

"NO!" Both girls answered Yang at the same time. Meanwhile Velvet removed her jacket as there was no way she would reveal she kissed Coco to 'practice' a little.

"Nameless boy that was pestering me thinking I was a girly boy when I clearly am a boyish girl. His face was priceless." Coco grinned and laughed.

"My first kiss was with Captain Arc." Penny said, and they slowly turned to Jaune, three girls in special had murder stares.

"It wasn't like that! My sisters told her that was the way to greet a superior officer! I am glad I convinced her otherwise before the trip started!" Jaune defended himself.

"Your sisters… I can believe that. OK, Glynda!" Yang turned to the commander, and she immediately removed her jacket.

"It was with me after we tried a few beers in combat school. That was my first kiss." Doc said, and Glynda glared daggers at her old friend.

"Thanks for telling them AND making me remove my jacket, Shen."

"You are very welcome, Glyn."

"Wow, ok, after this bombshell, the next question is…"

…

 **A.N.: I will make this an occasional omake for when I am looking for a pause. I am now accepting questions for them to answer! Do your worse!**


	14. Deception

_Be careful, a nest of liars lies ahead._

Jaune looked around, as he heard a voice while showering. It was a gentle voice, feminine, almost like she worried about him. It wasn't the voice of Penny, or any voice he knew, except… It sounded like the songstress he always heard singing while warping. And since they were indeed warping, it made sense the voice belonged to the same person.

"You know, you have a lovely voice, we should talk more often." He commented and he heard giggling. "Would you mind tell me your name?"

Silence… then singing. This time a weary song. It was like the songstress was saying she wouldn't talk to him often. Jaune made a mental note to keep this a secret for a while, at least until he could have certainty of what he was experiencing. He finished his bath and put his uniform. It was time to work again.

…

Glynda Goodwitch always knew that this mission would be unusual. First, they gave command to an inexperienced officer and for more that she learned to like Jaune as a person; she still had trouble accepting how easily he would go for unorthodox methods to get them all out of trouble. Certainly they worked till now, but she couldn't help but dread the day it won't. She would support him, nonetheless, but she still wanted him to talk with her before doing something crazy.

Then, there was the chosen crew. Clearly there were pearls like Velvet, Ren, Pyrrha and Weiss, as long as the young Schnee was kept from her other teammates, the ones Glynda defined as the problematic ones. They ranged from inexperienced but talented to straight trouble makers. But she was getting used to it.

She was surprised to see that apparently today was 'try a new hairstyle' day as she entered the bridge.

Yang was wearing twin tails, and it fit her personality very well. Velvet was wearing a braid, and once again it fit the bunny girl well. Pyrrha was probably the one with the most radical change as she had her long red hair braided in several small braids along its length, and while fitting, it probably took the whole day to be done. Even Penny was wearing her hair in a short off center ponytail.

"Hello everyone." Jaune said as he entered the bridge and was saluted back, sitting on his chair as Glynda gave way for him. "So, how long before we warp off?"

"Five minutes, skipper." Yang answered as she checked her panel. Jaune nodded and started checking his panel. Glynda eyed him as he lacked any reaction over the crew new hairstyles.

"Captain, didn't you noticed anything different on the crew?" She whispered to him, and he looked around.

"Not really. Please tell me you don't suspect aliens swapped our crew with sentient cabbages that look like them!" Jaune shout whispered back, making Glynda sigh.

"Of course not! I am talking about their hair!"

"Oh, that. Penny said my sister Mia would try different hairstyles with her from time to time, and I said I could help her since I did the hair for my sisters a lot of times. Then Ruby got me and asked for me to do her hair, and one thing got to another." Glynda just shook her head in disbelief. Of course the captain of the most advanced ship of the colonial Spacy fleet would spend time doing his crew's hair.

"Going out of warp…" Yang spoke. "Now…"

They arrived in the Ibis system, a binary system with a red and a blue star, and twenty planets and hundreds of moons. It was a prime candidate and was a beautiful sight to boot. The _Nagato_ started to travel towards the life zone while Velvet started scanning the system.

"Sir, we are being hailed." She said with a surprised tone, making Jaune stare at her for a moment. He hoped this time it would be a better first contact than the few last ones.

"Pass them through."

The alien that appeared was probably the most beautiful alien their met till that moment, and there was a moment of surprised silence on the bridge. It had bird-like features, the whole body covered in mostly white feathers except for a few around the head and arms that were colorful, with so many colors that they couldn't list them all at a single glance. It didn't have a beak, but a projected mouth covered in tiny feathers, and had a smile.

"Greetings visitors. I am Aleeka from the planet Kooars. Please identify yourselves and your purpose visiting our star system." She said in a very musical female voice.

"Greetings, Aleeka. I am Cpt. Jaune Arc of the FTLRSS-7 _Nagato_. Our purpose is to find planets fit for colonization." The blonde boy was surprised to see Aleeka smile getting bigger.

"That is most fortunate then. I will inform our leader of your arrival. Our moon, Klaska, might be suitable for your species. Please standby as we send a drone scan to check your ship before we can authorize your approach."

"Understood, we will wait for it." With that the communication ended. "Velvet, they can't hear us anymore, right?" The bunny girl wondered why he was asking that but nodded. "Very well… Penny, make sure this drone scan only do what is supposed to do, I don't want it probing our systems and files. We are keeping a yellow alert from now one. Tell Ruby I want a fireteam on alert."

"Wow, and that is your reaction to nice people?" Sun asked from his terminal.

"You can get more flies with honey than vinegar, Petty Officer. Besides, after our streak of bad luck, I prefer to be overly cautious." He stated, and Glynda gave a small nod of approval. It was clearly he was learning from past events.

…

"99.99%?"

"Yes, atmosphere, size, gravity, liquid water, climate, vegetation and life. It is 99.99% compatible with our needs." Velvet explained to the captain with a bright smile. Jaune looked at the numbers and nodded, but something kept pestering him, like a nagging sensation he was missing crucial information.

"And the Kooarsians are going to give us the moon… just like that?" he questioned, and Velvet showed their planet.

"Kooars have 80% of our standard gravity, and its atmosphere contains more oxygen and sulfuric components than ours, so I am guessing the Kooarsians can't live in the moon whitout terraforming it." She explained as she put the two celestial bodies side to side. "And Kooars have only one city, and a few hundreds of thousands inhabitants, so it is not like they need the space."

"Yeah, yeah. Well, they want to meet us, right?"

"Yes, their leader, Jarse, wants to meet with us to discuss a pre-arrangement if we want to move to their moon." Glynda stated, and Jaune nodded. Apparently, they could finish that mission in a success and be back home in just a few days. Yet he couldn't put himself in a good mood.

"Commander, you are going, choose whoever you think appropriate. They aren't allowing you to take your guns, so be careful." Glynda nodded, but Yang put an arm around Jaune's shoulder.

"Come on, skipper, we are visiting their planet, they have the right to be a little cautious of us."

"Exactly. They are meeting a new species and are already offering their moon to us and inviting us to dinner. I think they aren't being cautious enough." He finished as the crew dispersed to exact their mission.

…

Glynda was satisfied with her chosen crew. Weiss, wearing twin tails, would add some class to her meeting with the aliens. Pyrrha was also very polite; as was Coco (wearing a bandana instead of her bonnet), when the brunette wasn't too busy teasing Velvet. She regretted having to bring Neptune as a pilot, hoping he would behave. And Penny was always an uncertainty. Otherwise she expected to avoid any ruckus or worst, a diplomatic incident.

"That is one pretty city." Neptune commented from the cabin.

They looked from the windows to see a mostly white city constructed in the way of tall skyscrapers connected by many bridges, in what appeared to be a natural crater with a lake at the bottom. There was a great quantity of vegetation being grown in many plateaus constructed along the sides of the buildings, and many parks could be seen. Maybe due to the sulfur in the air, most plants had a distinct yellow tint. Neptune maneuvered the aircraft to a landing area, where several Kooarsians waited.

They landed and disembarked with their armors on, since they needed to filter the sulfur and excess oxygen from the air. The lighter gravity felt surprisingly nice too. The Kooarsians welcoming them were very bird like creatures, with bird like feet, and hands in the same pattern, but no wings, and long feathery tails, but none wore any clothing, maybe due to the feathers covering most of their bodies, but certainly they were adept to use jewelry. They were tall, twice as taller than the tallest of the team, probably due to the combination of low gravity and bigger oxygen rates.

"Welcome to Kooars. I am the leader of my people, Jarse. It is with utmost pleasure that we welcome you to our city." The tallest and most adorned Kooarsian said to them with a huge bow, that the crew gave back.

"I am Cmdr. Glynda Goodwitch of the _Nagato_. Thank you for receiving us, Lady Jarse."

"Good, good. Follow me; we have prepared a reception for you and your crew."

They followed the group through the many bridges and corridors that linked the city's buildings, and were surprised that apparently the Kooarsians didn't used any type of vehicle to go from place to place, not even elevators. But the combination of _Hunter_ armor and low gravity made the walk less tiring than expected.

Soon they found themselves in a big, circular room. There were no chairs but several cushions around the round table in the middle. They sat and Glynda did most of the talk with Jarse, while the rest mostly just added information or a comment here and there. No food or beverages were served, and the crew just assumed they didn't had a suitable meal to offer, especially when the guests couldn't take their helmets

"Oh my, it is night time already." Jarse commented as they looked outside, and indeed the night was setting in. "Can I offer you all a room for the night?"

"That would be nice, yes." Glynda said, weighting that accepting the hospitality of the natives would outweigh the inconvenience of staying inside the armor for an extended period of time.

"We prepared an acclimatized room for you, so you will be able to sleep comfortable. But we just don't have any food or drink to offer that would suit your needs." She apologized, but to them it was already more than expected.

"It is already more than we could ask for, Lady Jarse. We are very thankful for your hospitality." Glynda completed, and the Kooarsians led them to a room on the base of the building. It was covered in cushions, and was rather spacious and comfortable.

"We will meet you all tomorrow. Sleep well." Jarse wished as the door closed, and the sound of machines could be heard.

"The air is now appropriate for humans." Penny stated, and they all removed their helmets.

"They are a rather pleasant people." Weiss said as she stretched and sat on the comfortable cushions. "I wish all aliens were like them."

"Yeah, it certainly beat what we found so far with the exception being the Hippolians. They were cool too." Coco agreed as she removed her armor.

"Let's just try to get some rest. I will inform Jaune that we are progressing well so far." Pyrrha said as she activated the radio.

…

Jaune probably never spent so much time in the bridge before. If possible he liked to spend time in the mess hall, or in his room. But the bridge had all the shiny holo-screens to him to play, and while the temptation to play a game was always great, now he was checking all the information about the planet and the moon they were visiting. Sun and Yang were sleeping at their stations, as was Nora. Ren was fiddling with Penny's AI program, probably just because he was interested in the way the AI worked with emotions. If Glynda was there, she would make sure to lecture everyone.

"Captain?" Jaune turned to see Velvet entering the bridge, wearing her night clothes, and with a cute cap covering her hair but showing her ears. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"I could ask you the same, Vel." He answered with a smile before returning to the screens.

"Don't try to weasel out, Captain!" She said as angry as possible, despite her clothes making that cute than threatening. "You need to sleep too! And if you say sleep is for the weak…"

"IT IS WHAT I WOULD BE DOING IF YOU STOP YELLING!" Nora shouted before going back to sleep on her console, startling the duo. Apparently the rest was too deep in sleep to notice.

"Sorry, Vel, it is just this nagging feeling something here is so terrible wrong. My mom always says that when everything is too perfect, you should be wary." He explained as once again he looked at the moon that could turn out to be their new home. "I want to believe we accomplished our mission as much as everyone else, if not more. But Ironwood was right in one thing: hope is a dangerous thing. If we get it too high, the fall is even more disastrous."

"So, just keep your hopes in check. No need to give up at it." Velvet gentle put his hands on hers, and smiled shyly. Jaune smiled back, feeling a bit silly for worrying so much. That was when the two was put in a hug by Yang. "WHA?!"

"Come on, I want a bit of blonde, handsome and cute too! I can't help if he attracts me like a planet attract its moon!" She smirked, making Velvet squirm under her hug.

"THAT IS IT!" Jaune shouted surprising everyone and waking both Nora and Sun. "Attraction! Yang, you might be a genius!"

"I am a genius!" She said pointing to her chest with her thumb.

"Penny, show me the orbit the moon take over the planet." The image showed the moon rotating around its planet as a moon usually would. "Now, considering the planet has lower gravity than the moon, how a bigger moon is the one gravitating around it and not the reverse, considering they are as close as our moon is from our planet back home?"

"It is impossible. Bodies with higher gravity attract the ones with smaller gravity." Nora explained as she rubbed her face and then her eyes got wide open. "Oh, maybe we found a great discover in astrophysics and we will be famous and my name will be on books and…"

"Nora, let's focus in solving this mystery first." Ren said as he ran the scanners again. "Same readings as before. But the gravity mystery sure deserves a closer look."

"Try to contact the fireteam. I want them back on the ship till we solve this puzzle." Jaune ordered. Velvet sat at the comm. station and tried contact.

"Sir, no answer from the fireteam." She said worried.

"Penny?"

" _Can't contact my mobile unit too. It is not interference; it is more like the signal isn't reaching her_."

"Nora, prepare the fighters. Yang, you go get our friends, I will go check that moon." He answered, but Velvet stopped him.

"Jaune, if we are wrong here and this is just some weird coincidence, we might create a diplomatic incident. Maybe they just can't get the call at the moment." The bunny girl warned, and he petted her head gently.

"We are just checking things up, Vel. The fighters have stealth capabilities, so we will just do a few flyovers and if everything is as supposed to be, we will come back. Keep trying to reach the team. Yang, no blowing up stuff without my orders… Or if you see people shooting against our people."

"One day you will say to me 'fire at will' and there will be much rejoicing."

…

Jaune and Yang left the _Nagato_ and each flew in different directions, the former to the moon and the later to the planet. They both activated the active stealth mode, and the ships couldn't be detected anymore, even by naked eye as the light distortion camouflage made the light circle around them.

The _Ladybug_ approached the moon and Jaune noticed the first oddity as while the sensors indicated the gravity field of the planet he couldn't feel its effects on his fighter. The second oddity was the fact that as he prepared to enter the atmosphere nothing happened, no attrition heating, no turbulence. It was basically all evidence he needed, but when he tried to contact the _Nagato_ , something was blocking the signal.

"Uh. Might as well go deeper then."

Jaune made the fighter dive in the direction of the ocean, while all of his sensors warned him of the imminent collision. He gritted his teeth and prayed for his guts to be right about what would be a really awful experience if he wasn't. He closed his eyes when the fighter hit the water and…

Nothing.

He opened his eyes again to see he was still alive, and flying. He looked at the sensors since the space he found himself in was completely dark. It indicated a small celestial body below, smaller than the moon back home. He decided to investigate it and flew closer, noticing a few heat points around the moon and what he thought was sky lights.

As he approached the moon, his sensors beeped, detecting several smaller structures orbiting it. He couldn't see them since whatever was creating the illusion that the moon was bigger than reality was blocking the stars' light. Jaune could use his own lights, but he would have to uncloak. He decided that it was worth the risk.

He cursed his decision immediately.

Hundreds of small insect like drones started to chase him, and he used his onboard machine guns to down as many as he could. Deciding that in space they had the advantage he dove into the moon bellow, his lights revealing a red clouded moon. Reentry proved fatal to the drones, despite the thin atmosphere, the attrition destroyed many of them. But many others were still pursuing him, and he maneuvered to avoid their attacks. He was glad the fighter was made to fly in the atmosphere as well as in space, while the drones weren't as prepared. He outmaneuvered and downed the rest with ease.

Taking a few seconds to recover his breath he flew towards the hottest point of the moon, and found a tower in the middle of it, emitting some type of laser show. He scanned it but found no traces of life signals, so he tried to analyze it, already missing Penny and Ren. It looked like some gigantic projection device combine with a series of radiation emitters…

"And I want it gone."

He armed a pair of missiles and fired them, to discover the structure had some type of force field around it. He groaned and was about to try again when anti-air artillery started exploding around him, forcing him to evade. One hit his fighter, sparks flew from where the hit connected, and the panel showed it disabled the weapons systems. That would mean he would have to go back to the _Nagato_ and try to explode if from a distance.

"Or…"

He engaged the autopilot and made the _Ladybug_ circle the tower from a distance of around 3 km, enough to keep the artillery fire from hitting it. He opened the canopy, glad for wearing armor and armed the neutron rifle. Remembering what happened when he tested the weapon the first time, he adjusted the angle of the fighter relative to the tower and generated the hardlight shield. The tower's defenses fired long range explosive rounds, which started to burst too close to him for his taste.

"Ren said I could hit something ten clicks away. Let's see how it goes with three clicks, gravity and atmosphere."

He fired, and the gold beam overheated the air around it, burning its components and creating an impressive fire column around it. It hit the middle of the tower, but due to the fighter's movement it moved to the left and down. When it finally finished firing, the tower felt to its side and the illusion started to dispel.

" _Captain, what happened and why the moon is changing_?" He heard Velvet's voice on the radio and returned to the cockpit, glad the rifle worked just as fine.

"Found a deceit and got rid of it. What about the crew in the planet?"

…

"Commander Goodwitch, please wake up. It is an emergency."

Glynda groaned and looked at the AI unit. The worried expression on the artificial girl's face made her promptly get up and put her glasses on. The blonde woman still had trouble accepting that a robot had such a variety of emotions, and those all seemed so sincere. She wondered how the rest of the crew could accept it so easily. She stopped wondering when Penny pushed her helmet on her hands.

"I am detecting a raise on the levels of carbon dioxide in the room, dangerously approaching critical level. I will wake the others, please wear your _Hunter_."

Glynda put the helmet immediately and confirmed the information and activated the helmet air purifying function. She was glad of the modular nature of the _Hunter_ armors, and started to put her on. Penny successfully woke everyone else and helped them putting their armors. With that problem out of the way they reunited in the middle of the spacious room.

"What is happening?" Neptune asked first, yawning loudly.

"Maybe it is a malfunction on the environmental system?" Pyrrha hoped as she looked around to see if anything was aflame, a likely source for the carbon dioxide.

"Impossible to determinate." Penny said as she finally put her own helmet. Being synthetic had its perks, and Glynda finally felt glad she brought her with them.

"Let's call the Kooarsians, they probably will fix this." Weiss calmly stated and tried to use the terminal close to the door, but nothing happened. "OK, this is not right. Let me try the radio…" She tried to contact the outside using the onboard radio. "Something is blocking the signal."

"Very well… We are unarmed and unable to contact the outside. We are going back to the bullhead. Whatever is happening, I don't want to stay here to discover." Glynda approached and tried to open the door, to no avail. "Of course it is locked. Suggestions?"

"Let me try something…" Pyrrha touched the door and used her Semblance. A series of clicks and clacks were heard and the door opened. "Uh, Blake was right. I can use it to open locks."

"Less talking, more escaping." Coco said as they all started to run around the corridors and passages of the city.

The city was empty as it was the middle of the night, only the faint glow of round lamps and the light from the moon. Not that lack of light was a problem when they all were wearing expensive high-tech armors. They jumped down some bridges and arrived at the landing pad, gladly to see the bullhead was still there. They also saw the Kooarsians standing between them and their ship. Besides them there were two huge robots, apparently battle ready.

"My, why our guests are leaving in the middle of the night?" Jarse asked in her friendly tone.

"Our room was filled with carbon dioxide, and our attempts to reach you or our ship failed, Lady Jarse." Glynda explained, already not liking the situation. If it was all a misunderstanding, there was no need for the giant robots.

"That was probably a malfunction with the climatic system. The lack of radio signal happens sometimes due to solar tempests that our starts usually do. I see this is all a misunderstanding from your part. We will fix your room and hope this incident will not affect our negotiations." Jarse said very receptive, and for a second Glynda wondering if that was really a misunderstanding.

"You should fix your moon first." Coco commented, and they all looked at her first before looking at the moon.

Slowly the big, blue, white and green moon faded, revealing a smaller red globe covered in grayish clouds. For the first time since they met the Kooarsians expressions changed from welcoming smiles to enraged frowns as they turned back to the _Hunters_. The robots armed their weapons and aimed at them.

"How unfortunate that this is how we will do it. We were going to get you unconscious and take you all to the extraction chambers. Now, we will have to resort to less pleasant ways." The musical voice she usually used was gone for a terrifying shriek like speech.

"Extraction chambers?" Glynda questioned, more in an attempt to keep the alien busy as she planned a way to get out of that situation. She knew Pyrrha could use her semblance on the robots, while Weiss and she could use their glyphs to keep the aliens in check. But the lack of proper weapons still was problematic.

"Yes. You see, your blood carry all your race traits, and drinking living blood will give our race the best characteristics, as we absorb your DNA and your souls." Jarse explained, and they all looked back terrified.

"If it was our DNA you wanted…." Glynda started, but a loud shriek that maybe was supposed to be a laugh cut her.

"But how about your soul? Now, please go back, and you all will have a painless existence as we slowly drink your blood."

They all got in an unarmed battle stance, and the two big robots took a step forward.

And exploded.

They all cowered for a second to see _Bumblebee_ decloaking and make a maneuver over their heads.

" _Sorry I kept you waiting. I see our hosts aren't exactly all sunshine and rainbows. I think I owe the skipper some money_." Yang said over the radio.

"Glad you are here, Lieutenant, we need extraction ASAP!" Glynda answered as the fighter was coming back, firing a missile that simply landed in front of them, opening up and revealing their weapons.

" _I am detecting several bandits approaching. I will try to keep them off as you guys get to the bullhead_."

The fighter flew away and soon they could see explosions on the night sky. The Kooarsians shrieked and started attacking the fireteam using long rifle-like weapons, and they fought back with their retrieved weapons. Four more robots appeared, and Pyrrha and Weiss used their Semblances to keep the robots away. Coco used her rather large minigun (a name she always said was the biggest misnomer ever) to give Neptune cover fire as they made way to the bullhead. Penny used her swords to teach any one that got too close why swords are nasty.

Jarse jumped at Glynda, her weapon in spear mode, just to be blocked by a glyph, before the Commander, spun and shot the alien in the shoulder, making her shriek louder and attack again. The blonde officer once again used a glyph to block and fired against Jarse's knee, basically blowing it off. With the alien downed she rushed towards the bullhead.

Pyrrha and Weiss perfectly combined their skills, the redhead using her teammate glyphs to get vantage points to pierce the robots heads and using her own Semblance to fry the electronics inside them. The heiress used her many Dust rounds to keep them busy, but one of the robots almost got her if Pyrrha didn't used her shield to take its arm off. The two shared a stare of satisfaction as they also reached the bullhead after dispatching the last robot.

Neptune was already starting the engines while Coco suppressed the enemies by raining bullets at them. The team was onboard soon, while several new enemies started approaching and Yang urged them to get out before more airborne enemies could arrive.

"Petty Officer!" Glynda shouted towards the pilot.

"I need to scan the ship first! I would hate to discover they planted a bomb and explode midair! Just keep them busy for a few seconds!" He answered back as he kept pressing buttons on the panel.

"I don't have that much bullets, Vasilias!" Coco answered as she looked that the bullet belt was close to its end.

"Neptune!" Weiss yelled from her sit.

"Ready to take off!" He shouted back and the bullhead jerk up. Coco almost fell off the vessel but Penny grabbed her and pulled the gunner inside.

The bullhead closed its doors and started its escape, soon joined by Bumblebee as the two vessels dodged incoming fire. It was a tense few minutes before they left the planet and boarded the _Nagato_. The ship didn't wait them all to be seated before making a run to the warp point and leaving the system.

…

"Alien vampires?" Blake asked as the crew finally finished delivering their reports. She was wearing her hair in a complex oriental style.

The _Nagato_ was in warp, so they didn't expected trouble.

"Basically. They believed that drinking our blood would give them our best characteristics, and part of our souls." Weiss explained as she brushed her hair.

"That sound nuts." Blake commented, but she was already having an idea for her fanfiction, and a name, _Space Ninja Vampires of Love_.

"You would expect that advanced cultures would be less… savage." Weiss lamented.

"Are we an example of advanced culture? I mean, we were forced to leave our planet, live in space colonies, and we still found ways to wage wars between ourselves." Blake commented. The Faunus Great Strike wasn't the first time in the Colonies' story that something like that happened.

"Well, let's just hope our next encounter is with nice aliens. One that only thing they crave is Ruby's cookies." Yang said playfully, and Ruby hugged her cookie jar. Her hair was brushed back and held with a ribbon.

"Only evil aliens would try to steal the cookies of a little girl!" She protested, and everyone laughed a little bit.

…

"I am just glad you all returned safely. And next time, we really should negotiate any 'no weapons' rules." Jaune commented with Glynda as she finished delivering her report to him.

"I think the prospect of finishing our mission made all of us rush things. We should create a protocol for next encounters like this." She added and Jaune agreed.

"But not now. You need rest. Though I am curious about how it felt to be back in action."

"It was… sad. At first, I wasn't thinking about anything. Except protecting the team and leaving the planet, but… I never liked the killing. I know that makes me sound like a bad soldier…"

"I would rather have soldiers that dislike killing than ones that get pleasure on them. That is why you became an instructor?"

"Yes. A chance to help others to survive it was one I wouldn't let go."

"So, why did you accept coming here?" Jaune asked, now curious. Glynda smiled a rare smile that changed her, like the stern one and the smiling one were two different people.

"Because I believe. I believe this mission can save us as a people. And to keep an eye on you."

"Me?" He was confused as she stated that, and she pulled her scroll and showed footage of his fighter. The onboard cameras even caught him firing the neutron rifle.

"You still do some risky maneuvers if left unattended, Mr. Arc." She said with the instructor tone he always feared and respected, making Jaune stiff in his chair. "So, I will lecture you about getting in unnecessary danger as you fix my hair."

"Come on, Commander, I did that because… Wait… what?" She smiled slyly at him and spun in the chair, her back towards him as they sat in his office.

"Well, you have talent, and you played with the hair of every woman in this ship. So, as I lecture you, I want to see how you would comb my hair." She explained very professionally, and Jaune gulped but obeyed, an old reflex from combat school. He couldn't see the playful smile Glynda had, but she relaxed as he undid her hair bun. He could be her captain, but she decided to never stop being his teacher.


	15. The Club

"And here we are; the clusterfuck that is the Jaguar system." Yang stated as they got out of the warp. The system was a ternary system, and its three stars were in a clear war against each other as they furiously exchanged heated plasma between each other. "Do we really expect to find a livable planet here?"

"Use proper language while on the bridge, Lt. Xiao Long." Glynda ordered as she was the commanding officer at the moment, and demanded a more strict protocol than Jaune.

"Sorry, Commander, we are still trying to fix my sister up." Ruby answered from the gunner seat in an apologetic tone before glaring at her sister, and Yang just showed her tongue to the redhead Marine.

"Commander… we are being hailed." Blake said from the comm. station, as always ignoring the antics of her teammates. Glynda sighed and talked with the Faunus girl.

"Very well, pass them through."

" _WELCOME TO THE CLUB! THE NUMBER ONE SPOT IN THE GALAXY FOR DRINKING, DANCING, GAMBLING, BUSINESS NOT ALLOWED ANYWHERE ELSE!_

 _If you are a newcomer, here are… THE RULES!_

 _We only accept Dust as payment. Your Dust will be changed into club chips when you arrive and traded back to Dust when you leave_

 _We don't care who started it, if you start a fight, we will finish it and you will be banned!_

 _We take 10% of every transaction! And believe us, we will know!_

 _Information dealing is exclusivity of the owner, Jun'ee'or. You can only sell it to him bad buy from him. Try to break this rule and we break your legs or equivalent appendages!_

 _Come and have fun!"_

The transmission came with images of semi-naked aliens and what was probably some type of music, and the picture and coordinates for a space station. Glynda was just too shocked by that to say something, as was Ruby and Blake. Nora giggled at the way they were greeted, while Penny was trying to understand what happened. Only one person seemed ecstatic over all that.

"I am so going there!" Yang exclaimed from her seat, already making plans for a night out. "I would even use one of my dresses if SOMEONE didn't forbid them on board."

"You aren't going there, Lieutenant!" Glynda ordered, and Yang pouted.

…

"Seriously?" Glynda should've expected that, but she didn't. Jaune actually wanted to send Yang to _The Club_.

"The guy sells information, and we could just buy it with some Dust. We are blindly going to systems that aren't the same as our initial analysis shows. I want to buy updated star charts if possible. It would save us time and headaches over stumbling upon hostile species." Jaune justified as they were in the docking bay.

"And why we are sending Lt. Xiao Long of all people? Worse, with Officers Wukong and Vasilias?" She stared down at the two smiling boys.

"Come on, commander, I have being stuck in this ship since we departed!" Sun begged.

"You need someone who knows how to behave in a… club with questionable reputation. That is us." Yang answered and Glynda groaned.

"And I am sending Blake with them to make sure someone with a good head over the shoulder will avoid any unwanted problems AND keep them under control." Jaune finished, and Glynda just accepted that he had a point. "Now, Yang, you are leading this little excursion. I just want the info, so go, find this Jun'ee'or, buy a star chart, the most complete they sell, and come back. No eating alien food, especially no drinking alien beverages, and no flirting."

"Come on, that is not funny! I want to dance a little, get in a few fights…" Jaune pushed a suitcase filled with Dust crystals on her.

"Enter, buy the charts, and come back." He repeated, and she pouted to him. "Do this and I will make you a Strawberry Sunrise with the umbrella thing when you come back."

"I love you." She whispered and winked, making Jaune blush. "OK team! Tonight we party!"

…

A club made to receive different species was actually not that different from any other club, unless you take account the fact it didn't had an artificial atmosphere and the gravity was only 75% the standard in the _Nagato_ , probably to better accommodate the many visitors the place had. Several different types of aliens were there, all of them wearing some type of space suit, again because of the lack of air. Yang was grinning like a maniac over the exciting mood the place had. Sun was also all smiles, while Neptune was a bit more worried. Blake kept her indifferent attitude, just hoping to finish the mission as fast as possible.

The place was crowded, and divided in five different sectors with the walls covered in bright panels inside as outside. On the middle was the casino, with several games being played, none they could identify or play. On one side was a bar, were drunk aliens talked or were splattered around unconscious while waiter-drones passed around delivering colorful glasses to the patrons. The other side was the dance floor, where a DJ messed with a complex panel to create the electronic rhythm. On the back were two secluded places with several indicators on the doors that made nothing for them.

"Do you want to trade your Dust for club chips?" A robotic voice asked, and they turned to a waiter-drone.

"Sure, pal. How much this gets me?" Yang said as she opened the suitcase. The drone scanned the crystals.

"They are worth a hundred thousand club chips, usually refereed as CCs. This is quite a lot; do you intend to play at the casino?" The drone asked, and Yang shook her head.

"Not today, I am interested in buying information."

"Ah, that will be with Jun'ee'or. I will inform him of your interest…" The drone apparently expected some identification.

"Yang."

"Yang. Want to trade your Dust now?"

"Yep." With that the drone collected the crystals and put a series of plastic chips in a weir oblong form in the case.

"Each of those is worth 500 CCs. Do you need smaller values?"

"No, thanks."

"Excellent. Please wait at the bar as Jun'ee'or will come to talk to you. Have a good day." With that, the drone left. Yang gave each of her friends ten of the plastic chips.

"OK, I will wait at the bar. Blake, make sure to find all escape points if we need to go back to the bullhead. Sun, Neptune, go explore a little. Use the radio if you need help."

"Yang, I don't think scattering around is a good idea…" Blake warned, remember she was probably the only one who didn't wanted to be there.

"Blakey, Blakey, Blakey… We are gathering info here, and the better way is to scatter. Too many scary people with power armors and guns will make people stop talking. Besides, this place doesn't look too bad." A fight broke as soon as she finished talking, with many yelling, punching and people being thrown around. "Now, you all be careful, I will wait for this Jun'ee'or. Once I have the star charts, I will call you all."

And with a gesture of her hand they scattered. Blake decided to find a place where she could observe the club without being noticed and found a secluded space in the dance floor, between two columns. Sun and Neptune entered in one of the secluded areas, just to move out of it as quickly while slapping each other shoulders and enter in the second area. Yang laughed a little and decided to sit on the bar to wait for Jun'ee'or.

The bar was probably the most familiar ambient in that place, and she sat on a stool with both hands arms spread on the counter, while looking at the people walking around. She felt weird being in the middle of so many different creatures and no one paid any attention to each other or her. She wondered if one day she would be like that, but for now everything seemed so different.

"Hello, can I serve you something?" A drone by the counter asked Yang. She wondered how people would drink anything there but noticed that most people there used a straw that connected directly to their helmets.

"I doubt you would know what a Strawberry Sunrise is, would you?" She asked anyway.

"I have no such beverage registered in my data bank."

"I will just wait for Jun'ee'or then."

"Oh, I see. Call me if you need something. All the drones can be accessed by calling AL."

"AL?" Yang surprised at the simple name.

"Yes. AL. Now excuse me." The drone moved away and Yang could only think of how Penny would react. But now she just relaxed and watched as another fight broke in the bar. She really missed that kind of thing.

…

"Are we really sure we will see hot alien chicks here?" Neptune whispered to Sun as another weird creature danced in the platform, while many of the patrons threw CCs at it.

"Come on, we all know sooner or later we will found some green or blue colored chick with maybe weird ears that will otherwise be as hot as Yang. Except the alien chicks will want to bang with us instead of the captain." Sun explained again, as another weird creature took the stage.

"How he even do it? How do he don't even notice it?"

"I don't… heeeeyyyy." Sun pointed to a corner, where what looked like a girl, judging by the curves on her tight space suit her helmet was also transparent and they saw a cute smile as she waved towards them. "I hope she have a friend for you."

"Who said she is waving at you pal. She was waving at my winning smile." Neptune said as he waved back.

"You are wearing a helmet, dumbass, she can't see our faces!"

"She will be seeing mine if we found a room with air." He answered and got up, soon followed by Sun.

"Should we even be doing this?" Sun questioned as he followed Neptune.

"Have I ever disappointed you, my friend?"

"You mean just on this trip or should I count the time back at the colonies?" Sun asked, but the duo followed the petite alien girl towards the back of the room, mesmerized as she shook her hips in her pink and brown space suit.

…

Blake loved her helmet. No one could stare at her face, the ability to look at everyone else's and using the second screen to read a book. Of course, she still kept an eye for anything unusual at the dance floor, but apparently everything was like any normal club… except for the different species dancing. She couldn't help but wonder why those aliens could coexist there like that while the Faunus and Humans still had to come to terms with each other despite being so much more closely related.

She was taken from her thoughts when she saw a familiar alien type.

It was the same type of the pirates they found previously, so she closed her book and kept a discreet eye on the alien. Soon another alien joined the first one, and she noticed their space suits followed the colors and patterns of the pirates. The two seemed to discuss something and walked to the back of the club. Blake cloaked and followed them, making sure to not stumble in any of the patrons.

She followed than to the back of the space station, where she saw a type of transport not dissimilar to the bullheads. And to her surprise she saw Sun and Neptune kneeled down in front of a group of the pirates, with the alien girl that defeated Pyrrha sitting on a box with her weird weapon over her shoulder.

 _A trap? Or they are here by coincidence? And how those two idiots get caught? Better warn Yang._

But Blake fell down unconscious as she felt electricity ran over her armor and body. The image of the girl near the pirates shattered like glass, and she stood behind the Faunus girl, smiling with her weapon on her shoulder. The pirates came and took her close to her friends when Roman appeared from the shadows.

"Now, we just need to get one last."

…

"Jun'ee'or will see you now." AL stated and motioned to be followed. Yang got up and walked with the drone through a door that opened in a rather spacious and luxurious office. Sating on the other side was the tall and muscular Jun'ee'or, and he looked mostly human except for the visible grey rocky skin from his transparent helmet, pit black eyes and the fact his head was covered in short black spikes. He stared at Yang and signalized for the drone to leave.

"So, what you want to buy?" he asked directly to business, offering a chair that Yang took.

"Start charts. The most complete I can get."

"Just that? You can get some of them in places with a better reputation than my club." He answered with a question, but his voice didn't sound that interested.

"True, but I want one who will also tell me the dark secrets of the people living there. I don't want to go to a planet where people sell my organs as sexual stimulants." Yang answered using her street wisdom to play the game.

"That I can provide. A complete chart of the galaxy will cost you… 100k." Jun'ee'or took a few seconds to announce the price, and Yang smirked. Of course he knew how much money she had at the moment. She had no frame of reference for the price of those maps, but she could see someone trying to cheat on her from miles away.

"Those charts aren't worth 50k." She decided to try her look and test to see how he would react. If the price was still high he would accept it sooner than later.

"Are you kidding me? Standard charts can cost that, but my maps will give you info of stuff no one wants to be put on them. Since you are my first client, I will give a discount. 80k." She knew he was being serious with the tone of his voice. But if he was hard to negotiate with, so was she.

"60k."

"No deal, goldie. Take it at 80k or leave."

"Very well, I am leaving." Yang was about to get up when he signalized her to stop.

"75k, and that is because I like you. I will even add the guide for clubs like mine around the galaxy for free." Yang smirked under the helmet and opened the suitcase, and gave him the CCs equivalent. He counted and gave her a small black tablet with a map of the explored galaxy.

"How recent is this data?" She asked, and he laughed.

"As recent as possible. It is compiled with in formation of the more than forty space traveling species of the sector. What are you searching for? Dust? Natural resources? Maybe a planet to colonize?" She didn't change her posture or voice tone; she just put the tablet on her pocket.

"You really like your questions." She said teasingly.

"I sell answers; you don't get them without some questioning." He explained, and Yang chuckled.

"If this data is good, I might visit you again soon."

"See you soon then, goldie."

Yang was glad she was wearing a helmet so he couldn't see her smiling. With her mission accomplished it was time to return to the _Nagato_. She was a bit said she didn't have fun, but at least the mission was ending without a hitch. All she needed to do now was to call the team and leave the place. She contacted the team via radio, but a voice she hasn't heard before came in.

"Oh, hello there. You must be Lt. Yang Xiao Long. Admiral Roman Torchwick. You might have heard about me before. Let's go direct to the point, shall we? I have your friends, so no contacting your spaceship. You will meet me at the docks where we will discuss how you will retrieve your friends. That is all."

Yang's visor glowed red as she stomped her way towards the docks, with murder intent so clear that even the aliens around moved out of her way. She soon left the club and walked the platform where several transport ships, and even some bigger ones, were docked. She saw one of the pirates waving at her and followed. Behind a few of the ships she saw Blake, Neptune and Sun being held at gun point, and standing in front of them with a cane the self-proclaimed pirate admiral.

"Ah, good, you came. Check her for weapons." One of the pirates started to grope the armor in search of weapons.

"Hey, careful with the goods, pal." She said in an angry voice, keeping her eyes on her friends, their weapons being held by one of the pirates behind them.

"She is unarmed, captain." The pirate answered, making Roman groan.

"It is ADMIRAL. A captain command a ship, I command a fleet! Now, back to business, goldie. See, last time we met your friends cost me a ship, and I am not pleased. I want a new one, and you guys have one that is quite a good ship. So, you are giving it to me."

"Har har. You are delusional." Yang answered as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Oh, I am not, because you will help me. See, you will go back to your ship in your transport, but instead of your friends here, you will get my friends back. So once inside, they will take the ship, unless you want me to blow up your friends head. Actually, I might just do it right now." Roman approached Blake and pointed his cane to her head, and the cane changed into a rifle.

"OK, OK! I will do it as long as my friends are unharmed." She asked and Roman smirked as he lowered his cane/gun.

"Glad I can negotiate with you." Roman signalized another of his men to move by Yang's side. "Let's get going… What are you waiting…"

The two pirates were under of the vicious grip of Yang's gauntlets. It was true that she didn't carry any visible weapon. She didn't need to. Her _Hunter_ had especially strong servomotors, which fit her CQC style of combat very well. The helmets the pirates were wearing started to crack under the pressure she was exerting.

"Let's trade, Admiral. My friends for yours." Yang made her point clear by raising them from the ground as her fingers kept cracking their helmets. Roman stared in surprise... Then laughed, to the blonde dismay.

"Silly one. Do you really think I care about them? My associates know very well that we don't negotiate."

"You guys need a better boss. Also, sorry for this, but I am giving you back to him."

With that she simple threw the two pirates with all her strength against the other pirates. The combination of lower gravity, no atmosphere and her own enhanced strength made them fly ballistic, giving no time to the pirates to react as they fell down over the sudden impact. Using the chance, the three hostages got back their weapons while Yang jumped on Roman, the only one still standing up, just to be blocked when the mysterious alien girl used her weird weapon/shield to block the punch.

"Great, now we have to capture all of them again. Neo, take care of goldie, I will entertain the others." Roman said as he started firing his cane/gun against Blake and the others.

Yang finally understood why Pyrrha was so frustrated after fighting that small girl. She was incredible good in dodging, blocking and countering. It was a very frustrating fight as she couldn't connect her punches and kicks, while being hit occasionally by the smirking alien, another thing that was pissing the blonde girl.

Meanwhile, Blake was surprised that Roman was holding his own against the three of them attacking at the same time. He used his cane to block Sun's attack with his staff-gun, and fired an explosive round tossing the Faunus boy against one of the docked transports. Neptune tried to use his rifle in trident form to pin the pirate down, but the skill he had with the cane allowed a counter and several hits on the blue boy's sides. Blake used her grapple hook to capture the cane and started to pull it, but Roman showed surprisingly strength as he fought back. Neptune and Sun used the chance to attack him at the same time, sending him against a passing drone.

Yang started firing her canons with each punch, but the damned little alien was not only dodging, it was also blocking the powerful shots like they were nothing. The red glow in her visor grew brighter as she took a bold punch, but Neo used the opportunity to fire the gun hidden in the tip of her weapon, stunning the blonde for a second. More than enough to give the small girl the chance to swipe Yang's feet, making her fall on her back. Yang tried to shoot, but Neo deflected the shoot that hit one of the many colorful panels around the club. The alien girl was about to fire against the Marine's helmet when she blocked a missile and jumped backwards.

"ENOUGH!" Jun'ee'or approached the group while carrying a rocket launcher in his shoulders, accompanied by two security drones with mean looking guns aimed at everyone. "You are destroying MY property."

The two groups move away from each other while keeping their weapons pointed at each other. Yang got up and evaluated the situation. They were in disadvantage if the club owner decided to side with the pirates. The two robots and that rocket launcher didn't looked like he was just trying to scare them.

"I don't care why you were fighting; I want you all out of my club AFTER paying for the damage." Jun'ee'or ordered, and considering their chances, Yang calmed down and threw the rest of their CCs at him. "That will be enough, now get into the transport and get out."

Yang gave a sign to the team and they slowly and wary of the group left. Roman kept an eye on them, while Neo just sat with her legs crossed in the top of a crate. Jun'ee'or put his weapon down and approached the pirate.

"Now, I know exactly how you can pay your part, Admiral." He said the last part full of sarcasm, making Roman sigh.

…

"And that is what happened." Yang explained back at the _Nagato_. "Sorry, skipper. It was my fault for not sticking together."

"It is." He answered, making her cringe a bit. "But you achieved success in your mission, and probably will save us months we would otherwise spend exploring systems that wouldn't be able to support our people. We will review this mission after you all rested. Especially how the Petty Officers were lured with this…" One of the screens in the docking bay showed the onboard cameras on Sun and Neptune's helmets as they followed Neo, with a 'weird' focus on her moving hips. The two boys smiled awkwardly towards everyone else.

"I will make sure to talk with them about this, Captain." Glynda said as she focused on the two boys. They squirmed uncomfortably under her gaze.

"Very well. Velvet, get Ren and Petty officer Vasilias after he is released, and analyze this star charts. We are going to the next system immediately, but I want to have our charts updated with this info as soon as possible." He gave the bunny girl the data pad, and she nodded and walked away. "That is all, you are all dismissed."

Jaune walked away, and Yang removed her armor and returned to her quarters, still angry with both her performance in that mission and how easily that alien girl beat her. She now understood why Pyrrha was so frustrated over that defeat. It was one thing to be beaten in an equal fight, but to be so overwhelmed was maddening. As soon as she entered the quarters, she saw the redhead girl preparing for her shift.

"Oh, hello again, Yang, glad to see you back."

"I want to defeat that tri-colored midget. I am training with you from now on." Yang simple stated, and after Pyrrha took a few seconds to understand what she was talking about, the redhead smirked back at her.

…

Jun'ee'or had being in the information trading business for a long while, and he knew the value of keeping his curiosity in check. Not all information was worth knowing, not all information was worth selling to certain people. But he disliked unknown variables, and the aliens that just left his club were one of those.

He never saw their species before or a weird ship like theirs. All the reports he was able to get from them was just that they stumbled upon the warring Cavirn and Overtan, and that they sunk some of their ships. Knowing the two races, Jun'ee'or knew the two armies were at fault somehow. But it still impressed him that the _Nagato_ was able to escape from several enemy vessels.

So he let Roman go with what the pirate thought was a cheap solution: information about that ship and its crewmembers. He knew the ship was a military ship, but different from the pirate he believed that wasn't a war vessel, but an explorer. He knew they were from outside the Known Sector as they didn't used standard communication protocols, what made spying on their radio incredible hard.

Jun'ee'or got himself thinking for a long while. He usually would let those aliens to their own devices, but his guts told him to keep an eye on them. So he warned all the clubs and brokers he was associated with to keep an eye on them.

If for nothing else, he knew Roman would pay a good price for that info. The pirate still wanted his revenge.

But Jun'ee'or also felt in his old bones that ship would shake the galaxy somehow.


	16. Ghosts in the Ice

Jaune listened to what he called the warp songstress again. This jump was a day long warp jump, and he has being listening to the song all the time. This time though, it wasn't a melancholic one, but something different. It felt like the songstress was welcoming someone after a long time longing for it. It was a more upbeat tune, and while he welcomed the change, it made harder to sleep.

So he got up and decided to go to the mess hall and make him a midnight snack. Not that he was hungry; it was just because it helped him sleep after. He walked the silent corridors of the _Nagato_ in his t-shirt and shorts, and wondered who else was awake, besides the people in the bridge. Penny was always awake, of course, and he learned sooner than later that Blake was one who preferred to sleep by day, or in this case, different time shifts than her teammates. Distracted by his thoughts he entered the mess hall to see an unusual scene.

Pyrrha looked at him like a deer in the headlights, with a big glass of warm milk in her hand. She was blushing madly, for some reason Jaune didn't get at first. She was wearing her hair down, something he rarely saw. And she was only with a tank top and a pair of shorts that hugged her nicely. So he could see her long legs, her shaped abs and her delicate yet strong arms. And then he blushed.

"Pyr…"

"Captain!" She squeaked in surprise. She stared at his face, and noticed his blush, while he kept his blue eyes fixed in her green ones. She actually thought it would be better if he was staring at her body, because she was having a hard time to not do something when he stared at her eyes so intensely.

"T-trouble s-sleeping?" He asked as he quickly moved to the kitchen and started preparing a sandwich as so to not look at the scantily clad Marine.

"Y-yeah, just a bit nervous." She said as she sat at the table, using it to cover her body a little. "How about you, captain?"

"You can call me Jaune when we are alone, Pyr. Besides, neither of us is on duty right now."

"Yes, of course, sir… I mean… Jaune." She took a deep breath and smiled at him. "So, what is keeping you awake?" He hummed the song he was hearing, and Pyrrha just stared at him in surprise. "Is this the song you listen? Now I wish I could listen too… It is beautiful, and somehow comforting."

"Yeah, but I just keep wondering why I listen it. But it is… I dunno… I don't feel worried about it, you know? Just curious." He sat opposite to her in the table with his big sub on hand, and started eating.

"You will get fat eating so much." She said with her voice laced in kindness. He smiled towards her.

"My stress burns a lot of calories." His answer made her giggle a little. "And why my favorite Major can't sleep?"

"I am the only Major in the ship!" She said and they laughed a little. "It is just… How you do it? How you aren't always second guessing yourself?" He stared at her and laughed heartily, confusing her.

"Pyr, I am always second guessing myself. I am probably the champion when it is coming to that. But… I am the one giving the shots now. I can't let my self-doubt put you all in danger or keep us from accomplishing our mission. Admiral Tenryuu said this to me during officer school: 'Miles, the secret to do quick decisions is knowing what your crew is able to do. So, don't waste time thinking about plans they won't be able to execute anyway.' And since I have an amazing crew, I know you all will make even my craziest plans work."

"That is comforting." She said and drank a bit of her milk. Her instructors always pushed her to surpass herself, but Jaune concentrated in doing whatever he could. Once again she felt glad to have accepted going in that trip. "Thanks for talking with me Jaune. I feel more relaxed already."

"I am glad to be of help. Now, better we go back to sleep before any curious eyes decide to see what we are doing." He finished his sandwich and Pyrrha her milk. "Penny?"

" _Yes, captain_?"

"Not a word about Pyrrha and I having a night snack to the crew, OK?"

" _Yes, captain_."

…

"OK, this is the most beautiful planet ever!" Coco said as they orbited Kangaroo-2, an ice blue planet with two parallel rings in its orbit, one was a beautiful emerald green and the other a shining purple. "Tell me we can live there!"

"Well, it is not impossible… The surface is ice, but it is a mix of water, nitrogen, oxygen, methane, carbon dioxide and traces of other elements. It goes several kilometers deep, and the core of the planet is metallic. So, not much for farming land. No organic life detected from here. There is a little more radiation than normal, nothing too dangerous on short term, despite interfering with our long range sensors. But since this system have only two planets and no moons, no much in resources to expand a colony under the ice." Velvet explained, making the crew lose a bit of the enthusiasm. "And there is this…" She showed the image of a huge white cloud that spun in the left side of the planet, and it shaped a bit like a flower. "It is a huge storm, and I don't know if this is occasional or permanent. So, I consider this more of a last option than a prime on."

"We are not the luckiest ship, are we?" Sun quipped, and they groaned on the truth of that statement.

"We all knew this wouldn't be easy. It would be a really short story if the very first planet we found to be just perfect." Jaune said trying to keep the crew from getting depressed. "Any other thing of note, Vel? Something on the data pad we got at _The Club_?"

"Yes, actually. Nothing from the data pad as we still are translating and converting it to a format we can use, but the long range sensors found something. This." Outlined on the image was an elliptical form spreading on the right side of the planet. "It is some type of structure, mostly metal, and I believe to be artificial. There are heat signs inside, and it is ten kilometers long, two wide in the widest part and at least 500 meters deep. I think it is some sort of station, maybe even a colony of sorts."

"And when you tried to contact them?" Jaune asked curious about that discover.

"We actually received a message back. It says… 'Access granted by upper port 5.' Just that, actually, and the location of said port." Velvet gave Jaune a 'no idea what this means' look and he analyzed the data in his screen.

"They actually invited us?"

"All attempts of contact returned the same answer. It is clearly automated."

"Damn automated responses. Well, we can't get there with the fighters… And that is one big… place? Suggestions?" Jaune asked as he had no idea on how to proper proceed.

"Send two teams to search the structure. I will go with them." Commander Goodwitch affirmed, surprising him. "Two teams will be able to explore the place faster, and reduce the chances of us getting trapped if this turns out to be the case."

Jaune looked at his first officer for a few moments, and evaluated the idea. While sending half his crew down there was less than compelling, he remembered his talk with Pyrrha and decided to trust them. After all, he saw Glynda in action once, and was pretty sure nothing would be able to get on her way.

"Very well, you are leading this mission, Commander. Choose whoever you want to go with you."

…

Glynda adjusted her _Hunter_ and a memory crossed her head, making her wonder. She was an efficient soldier back in the day before becoming an instructor, and even after the run in with the avian aliens a few days back, she still felt like that was natural, even if the new _Paladin_ -class was different from her old _Knight_ -class. Her own armor was mostly black and white with purple details, and it felt so light and fitting that kind of scared her. She always told her students you never get used to battle, but now as she put her helmet, she knew she did grew used to it. And this scared her a little bit as she looked at her crewmembers joking around. It would be a shame if they grow used to war, when they were barely adults.

"Is everyone ready?" She asked and they turned towards her. Fireteam RWBY was going, as would go Pyrrha, Ren and Penny. Neptune would fly them down, and the _White Rose_ was being prepared with an ice thawer to open a path to the structure below the ice.

"Aye aye, sir." They said together, and Glynda smiled.

"Very well. The storm Sgt. Scarlatina detected is twelve hours more or less of our landing zone, so we have that time window to explore the structure in question. To be safe, I am restricting it to ten hours. The structure is under a twenty meter thick layer of ice, so we are equipping ourselves with the arctic packs. Lt. Lie?"

"The artic packs carry extra fire dust to keep the heating on our _Hunters_ , plus ice climbing equipment, first aid kits specialized for cold environments, and three days' worth of rations. Just in case." He stated and they checked the big packs on their backs.

"The rations arean emergency measure, I don't expect or want to spend any time more than necessary down there. If everyone is ready, let's get going." Glynda finished and they started boarding the bullhead. It certainly brought up memories.

" _Captain Arc speaking. I just want to tell you all good luck. We're all counting on you_." Jaune said over the intercom.

"Officer Vasilias, let's get moving." Glynda ordered, and the _White Rose_ left the _Nagato_.

…

"HEAVENS IT'S COLD!" Yang shouted as she secured the perimeter. The ice thawer was creating the tunnel to get them to the structure below, covering the area in fog. "Next time I won't deploy unless it is a tropical beach!"

"Stop complaining Xiao Long! We are in a mission!" Weiss growled back while Yang gave her the finger.

"If you don't want a broken finger, you better apologize!"

"Stop that you two!" Ruby shouted at them. "The Commander will get angry. Why can't you two be more like Pyrrha? Look, the cold is not bothering her!"

The Major was so glad they couldn't see her face as she cursed under her breath the whole planet and wanted Velvet to make it catch fire as she did before. The reason she was standing still was just because the heating seemed to work better than moving around.

"OK, the thawer reached its target." Neptune declared as he brought it back. "OK, girls and Ren, I see you back in… eight hours. Sun said that if they have frozen bananas he want a box." With that the bullhead flew back to space.

Glynda left a sigh and directed her attention to the mission. The hole they made was in diagonal for easiness to climb down and up. So all that was left was to organize who would go first, but…

"WEEEEE!" Ruby shouted as she slid down, surprising everyone.

"Sis!" Yang jumped next, and soon all fireteam RWBY slid down, making Glynda grow loudly.

"Let's follow them, I have punishments to deliver." Glynda slid after them with Pyrrha, Ren and Penny following.

The ice passage ended in the opened hatch to the structure bellow, where Glynda and her team landed in their feet. They found fireteam RWBY in a pile with Ruby in the bottom and the rest on top of her.

"Ouch… That... wasn't a good idea…" She complained.

"Do you think you dolt?" Weiss yelled back.

"GET OFF ME!" Yang pushed up and threw Blake and Weiss on their butts before helping Ruby up. "This… was really stupid, Ruby. We are not in a training session! What if this was a trap and at the end of this corridor it was a pit of acid filled with piranhas?!"

"Sorry…" She apologized again.

"I will talk about your reckless behavior back at the _Nagato_ , Cpt. Rose. Now, your team is to go explore the most downward levels. Mine will explore the upper levels. And captain, be serious." Glynda said in a commanding and exasperated tone, and Ruby nodded before walking away with the rest of her team. "Sometimes I think she is fifteen instead of nineteen."

"I can't blame her. It is not like in the colonies we have much chances of being children." Ren stated, and Glynda realized he was right. There was no space, no time to just frolic around. They all got in combat school at thirteen, mandatory service at seventeen. And Ruby skipped two of those years.

"We will talk about this later. Follow me." She said as she drew her service pistol.

…

"When you will grow up? Damn it you are a fucking Marine captain! We count on you!" Weiss kept yelling as they walked the empty corridors, only faint white lights fighting the darkness of the chrome and cobalt colored corridors.

"I already apologized! What you want me to do?" Ruby yelled back.

"Rubes, she is right. That was immature and dangerous, and not a calculated danger, just dumb dangerous." Yang said in a rare occasion of siding with the heiress.

"You do dangerous things all the time!" Ruby accused her sister, but yang remained unfazed about it.

"Yes, but I do knowing exactly what I am doing. You jumped head first in something you didn't knew what would lead you into, Captain. Besides, since when I am an example to be followed?"

"Ha! At least you recognize it." Weiss scoffed, and Yang glared at her.

"Shut it princes. My sister and I are having a mature moment here." Yang spoke with a hint of displeasure in her voice.

"It is just me or the heater inside this place is turned off?" Blake questioned, focusing in her mission and ignoring the squabble between her teammates. "It is just a few degrees warmer inside here than outside."

"They might be saving power. Let's find a way to go down there, maybe find the engine room." Ruby said as she walked close to Blake. "Since they invited us in and even opened the door, I expected there would be someone to greet us."

"I found a service shaft." Blake said as she opened a door, revealing a tight shaft with a ladder, but big enough so they could go down. "Maybe they are concentrating the heat in one place and waiting for us to find them? Try contacting Goodwitch and see if her team had better luck."

…

" _Fireteam Grape, here is Fireteam RWBY, come over_."

"You better explain to me why we are Fireteam Grape, Captain Rose." Glynda questioned over the radio as they checked another room. Apparently they were in the living quarters of the ship, and while there were signs people lived there, the rooms were abandoned.

" _GRPP. Glynda, Ren, Pyrrha and Penny. That is how we do in the Marines to define Fireteam names. It is a tradition_." Ruby explained and Glynda sighed. It sounded like something Ozpin would come with just to annoy her.

"Found something, Cpt. Rose?"

" _A shaft that leads down way. We are taking it now. How about you guys?_ "

"Signs that indeed this ship had passengers. No life signs yet, so we will keep moving. You four, be careful."

" _Understood._ " With the message over, Glynda moved closer to Ren, who was scanning a terminal.

"Anything, Lieutenant?"

"No power here. It is like the power is being diverted somewhere else. The lights are clearly just emergency lights, some type of luminescent compound that need no power to shine." He explained as he put his mobile terminal away. Glynda turned towards Penny, who was using her swords as antennas to scan the place.

"Penny?"

"Sorry, Commander. The radiation is affecting the readings, but I concluded that this whole ship's components are contaminated with radioactive materials." Penny state rather calmly, but Ren and Glynda stared at her, worried.

"The source of the radiation is this place… and you called it a ship?" Glynda questioned, and after putting a finger under her chin like she was thinking, the android answered.

"Yes and yes. The components are naturally radioactive, with traces of uranium in all of them. I believe the original planet this ship came from had large amounts of it, so life just evolved to incorporate radiation as part of its natural process. Of course, this is just a theory. Velvet could probably explain that better, but I am having trouble reaching the _Nagato_." Penny explained and Glynda looked around.

The rooms were all small, but they had comfortable beds, and many had clothes spread around, some even had what she defined as toys. They even found some childish drawings that they couldn't determinate if they were of the alien people or not. She was about to give an order when Ren drew his machine pistols and pointed against the empty corridor.

"Lt. Lie?"

"I thought I saw something." He said as he lowered his weapons.

"Something?" Glynda questioned.

"A white shadow." He explained, and Pyrrha joined in the conversation.

"What, like a ghost?"

"Of course not. Ghosts don't exist." Ren answered plainly. "It is probably the lighting playing tricks."

"Anyway we will keep on guard. Let's try to find the control room, if this structure is indeed a ship, we can find information there." Glynda finished the talk and they moved along the long, silent corridor.

…

"Did you hear something?" Blake questioned as she took pointer and they walked around what was clear the docking bay of the ship, filled with transports not dissimilar to the bullheads they used to ride. The place was dark, and only their built-in lights illuminated the space. She was hearing the sound of what she associated as steps on metal.

"Yeah… probably just the wind." Yang dismissed as they kept walking.

"There is no wind indoors…" Ruby added, and they took a few more steps until they noticed Weiss just stood in place. "Weiss? Weiss!"

"Ah!" She yelped, surprising them. "Coming."

"Weiss… are you afraid?" Ruby asked, and the heiress glared at the redhead.

"Of course not, you dolt. Just got distracted. Let's keep going, we have lots of places to check and not enough time." She answered passing them all. Yang made a mental note to completely harass her over that later and followed, with Ruby and Blake soon behind.

They passed the docking bay and found the engine room. Several Dust generators could be seen, but none was active. Silence dominated the place, and once again only their lights dispelled the dark of the place. As they walked forward, some lights flicked, then the sound of a shot. When silence reigned again, smoke came from Blake's gun.

And Weiss was clinging on Yang.

"Hey, you are pretty and all, but I am interested in someone else already." Yang teased and the white haired girl jumped away, thankful for the helmet hiding her blush.

"Blake?" Ruby asked as the catgirl kept pointing her weapon at the empty space.

"I saw something." She explained.

"And?" Ruby pressed, and Blake finally pointed her weapon down.

"A white figure."

"There is better ways to 'accidentally' shot Weiss, Blakey." Weiss answer to Yang's comment was elbowing her ribs.

"It wasn't Weiss. It was like… someone in a dress." She explained, and Yang laughed loud, while Weiss and Ruby gulped a little.

"A ghost. You shot a ghost?" Yang laughed even louder to the displeasure of a certain black and white duo.

"Come on, let's keep going. Next stop is probably the maintenance deck." Ruby prompted, and Blake took pointer again. When Weiss passed by Yang, the blonde Marine made a ghostly sound, prompting the heiress to point her gun at her teammate. She probably would have shot if Ruby didn't push the gun down.

…

The bridge of the ship was ample, full of different stations and in two levels, differently from the rather Spartan bridge of the Nagao, but aside the emergency lights, only one small panel in what Glynda imagined to be the captain's chair, though the chair was larger than Jaune's. There she could see a small schematic showing a point in the back of the ship, a few decks bellow, and a rather large space. All energy apparently was being converged to that point.

"That seems to be the case." Ren confirmed as she asked him to check. "Apparently the energy is being supplied to some specific machine in the middle of this deck."

"Very well. Tell fireteam RWBY to meet us there. Where is Penny?" The three looked around and noticed no sign of the artificial girl. A little bit of panic set in as the three of them started searching for their friend. They found Penny in one of the access corridors to the bridge, and she was just standing looking at the empty space. "Penny, do not move on your own like that."

"Sorry, Commander. I was trying to communicate with the entity." She stated remorsefully. Glynda sighed in relief until it clicked in her mind what Penny just said.

"Entity?"

"Yes. A non-corporeal entity is trying to communicate with us." She explained, quite happily to their tastes.

"Penny, please, do not joke like that." Glynda asked with a sigh of exasperation, since it seemed to her even the android was getting a taste to lousy jokes in inappropriate times like Yang.

"I am not joking. Captain Arc is trying to teach me humor, and said to me I should not use any during missions and assignments until I fully understand the concept." She explained quite seriously. Glynda and Pyrrha traded looks with Ren.

"It is probably a glitch in her system. I will get it checked when we come back to the ship." Ren stated calmly, but Penny stared back with pouted cheeks like she was Ruby.

"I am 100% functional and my auto diagnosis system indicates no issues with me."

"Then those also need checking, Penny." He answered back, because there was no way he would accept the android made contact with ghosts. Because they don't exist, he told himself trying to not shake inside his _Hunter_. From the cold, certainly.

"Very well, let's get moving or fireteam RWBY will arrive on our destination before us." Glynda said and they moved. Well, Ren needed Pyrrha to gently nudge him to make him move.

…

"Are we sure this is a shortcut?" Ruby questioned as hey followed Weiss through one of the many corridors of the alien ship. She was not so sure her fellow Marine knew where they were going.

"According to the schematics Ren sent us, there will be a service shaft in the cargo bay that will take us towards our destination. We are doing a beeline there." Weiss answered, intending to get away from that place as soon as possible.

"She is just scared of ghosts." Blake deadpanned, and that made Weiss stop on her heels and turn around.

"I am not afraid of anything. And if you say something else, Belladonna, I will use my rank to discover what you read so much that make you so defensive of your scroll." Weiss hissed, and Blake kept the poker face as best as she could. "Now, follow me. IN SILENCE."

She walked stomping her feet, while the rest of the Marines followed. She finally reached the cargo day door and opened it by force as have being the case since they arrived. There was no power to make them open automatically. But as soon as she opened it and took a step she fell a few meters. And when she saw in what she landed at, she shrieked, reaching a note that many would be pretty sure humans couldn't hit.

When the rest used their lights to see what she fell into, they froze as the heat in their blood was stolen. Weiss landed in bones, thousands upon thousands of bones of all kinds and sizes, and so many skulls, many inhuman in nature, but others so closely resembled that of people that they couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Weiss yelled as she crawled towards the wall. Yang snapped out of the fear induced paralysis and used her hope to haul the heiress back. As soon as she got there and Ruby helped her up, she hugged her captain tight. "I want to go back…"

"We will be back at the _Nagato_ soon, Weiss." Ruby said in her most comforting tone.

"Home… Yeah, home sounds great…" Weiss said in a weak voice, and Ruby smile to herself. So she was not the only one, even after just a few weeks, that felt that the _Nagato_ was their home.

"So, I vote for an alternative route." Yang said as she closed the door. No one questioned her.

…

Lie Ren was a man of science. Everything had a logical explanation and nothing could surprise him as everything just needed a good look at to be understood. There was not a thing as magic, just things science can't explain yet. So, he was pretty sure there were no ghosts in that ship, and whatever Penny saw or they were experimenting was all something with logical explanations as ghost weren't real.

That is what he kept repeating to himself.

So, when they entered the only room in the ship that had power, he was pretty sure the white shadow he saw coming from another door had a perfect simple explanation. One that he would discover after filling it with dust rounds as he fired against it. The white figure ducked immediately.

"STOP SHOOTING AT US YOU IDIOT!"

He stopped as he heard Weiss voice and saw she getting up and the rest of fireteam RWBY entering the room soon after.

"WHAT THE HELL LIE?! I thought you were the one with self-control!" She yelled at him.

"Sorry…" He said as he put his guns away.

"Sorry?! You almost killed me!"

"Yeah, you almost transformed her in a 'sweiss' cheese!" Yang told, and everyone let out a groan, making her scoff a little. "At least Jaune laugh of my jokes."

"Enough. We still have a mission to accomplish." Glynda commanded before the situation could escalate. "Penny, can you detect… Penny?"

"I found the remains of the ship's crew." She said pointing, and before they could ask what she meant by that, they wished she didn't found it.

Together in the center of the rather big room was dozens of skeletons wearing suits, of varying heights, so they assumed they were adults and children alike. They all were hugging each other, and in the middle of it there was a glowing tall structure. They careful spread and approached it, when an holographic projection started in the top of the structure, an alien women with four arms and a long face with two big black eyes and a big mouth appeared, covered in a white dress.

"Thanks for answering our emergency sign. Our migratory ship suffered an irreparable damage to its warp engines and we were forced to land in this planet. With no resources to repair the engines, we ask of you to help us, be it repairing the engine or rescuing our people. To reward you for you kindness, we will share with you our technology."

As the message ended, a tablet like piece ejected from the terminal, and the once shining structure turned off after blinking several times. Blake used her grappling hook to get it without disturbing the remains and gave it to Ren.

"What… What happened here?" She asked as they looked around the room. It looked to be a central computer of sorts.

"By the state of the bodies, I would assume they have being trapped here for years. They probably started shutting down parts of the ship without use and concentrating on smaller spaces, till the point they used all energy they had left to keep the computer sending the emergency broadcast." Ren theorized. "The computer probably tried to reach us while we walked but didn't had enough power to project the hologram, creating the 'ghosts' we met."

"How about that room full of bones?" Yang asked, but Ren didn't have an answer. Glynda had one, a very unpleasant one.

"There are… reports in the Armed Forces that in the past stranded groups in the planet would… use everything at hand to survive. If this was a migratory ship, they probably had livestock with them, and they ate it to survive as their food ran low… and when the livestock ended…"

"Don't! Please don't say it." Ruby begged. "Can we go back home now?"

…

"Hey Ruby."

"Hey Jaune…" She answered as they finally arrived to the _Nagato_. The mood was incredible sour, and nobody said anything. Even Nora just patted Ren's back and looked concerned at her friend while everyone scattered around the bay. Jaune sat by Ruby's side in a crate.

"And I thought Yang and I had it hard." He commented, and Ruby nodded.

"Is this the universe we live in? A tragedy after another? We visited a planet that just exploded, another the inhabitants strapped themselves to machines, and we escaped vampire aliens and now…" She said in an almost crying tone, and Jaune just pulled her in a hug, as she buried her face on his uniform so no one could see her crying.

"Ruby, we only saw a tiny, tiny fraction of it. Things have being… rough to say the least. And while I can't promise next stop will be better, we will just keep going till we find our happy end."

"What if we never find happy on the way?" She asked from his shoulder.

"Then it is not the end." He reassured her, and she giggled a little on his shoulder. It was nice having someone like him to keep the spirits high, she thought for herself.

"At least it wasn't a complete downer. We did get the schematics they gave us." Weiss commented, and Ren nodded as he checked them with Nora.

"Most are technology at the same level as ours, there are three promising ones though, but I will need some time to translate them." He explained, just relieved that as he had absolutely no doubt there was no such a thing as ghosts, just quirks in an old ship.

"BOOOOO!" A figure clad on white come from behind him, and he and Weiss hugged and yelled, scaring everyone as the figure started laughing. It was Sun with a white sheet over himself.

"Man, you all should have seen your faces, it was priceless!" Weiss and Ren grabbed their weapons and loaded it, pointing towards the Faunus. "Hey, come on, it was just a joke. Guys? CAPTAIN!"

"Try to not bleed on my ship, gunner. Blood stains are a bitch to clean up." Jaune said plainly, and if there was a priceless face that day, was the one Sun just made.


	17. Deep Space Blues

Ruby was still feeling down. Sure Jaune's talk helped, and her big sister was doing all she could to make her smile. The redhead girl was more than happy for that, and appreciated their efforts. Yet she couldn't stop thinking about their last stop and how that could have being them. No one had any idea why those aliens were migrating, but it was sad nonetheless how they ended.

She walked absent minded around the ship, trying to keep her mind out of her problems. They were in the middle of deep space, far from any star system as Jaune decided to not take another step before the star charts they bought were installed and that the alien tech schematics they acquired were deciphered. She soon found herself in the docking bay, what became more or less the place everyone would congregate. She saw Ren, Nora, Penny and Jaune discussing while looking at a holo-screen and decided to listen to them.

"So, the maps are ready to be installed?" Jaune asked to Penny, and she answered with her energetic smile.

"Yes. We finally finished translating them."

"Here, let me show you…" Ren said as the screen showed a 3D model of the galaxy. "The blue zone is what they call the Known Sector. It is areas that have being mapped and visited before by a sentient race." A mass of blue filled a small part of the galaxy, and to Jaune it looked like a fat octopus. "It is representative of less than 1% of all Galaxy. The charts have every planet described, including if they are in dispute or have an indigenous intelligent race. All planets fit to our species are either of those."

"So, we would be wasting our time in the blue zone." Jaune concluded and Ren nodded.

"Here is the green zone or the Mapped Sector as they call it." A more spherical globe enveloped the blue zone. "It is star systems that they have analyzed over distance or with probes. It is twice as big as the Known Sector. Most of those planets are marked as 'claimed by'."

"So even if one of those is fit for us some alien race might just come later and say they called dibs on it. Fantastic." Jaune spoke and groaned. It wasn't a good perspective exchanging the war on Grimm for a war with another species.

"There is two pieces of info that I think we should discuss. This…" A black, red and white 'net' appeared at the edge of the Mapped Sector, likely attempting to cover it. "Is what they call the Devourer's Line. The chart doesn't say why it is called that, but the schematics we retrieved in the Kangaroo system had one 'Devourer long and short range sensor'. It seems something we might want to install on the _Nagato_."

"First, where does our home system is in the middle of all this?" Jaune asked, now worried about the possibility of one of those alien races being too close for comfort of his family.

"Here, just outside the edge of the Mapped Sector. Apparently no one knows about us until now. And we are in the opposite side of the Devourer's Line, and with a name like this, it is a good thing."

"Good news at least. What other techs we got?"

"Oh, nice, nice ones! They had schematics for improved forcefields, improved gravity floor and the coolest thing of all, the subspace scanner!" Nora celebrated, and Jaune just arched an eyebrow.

"The shields is quite self-explanatory, we can install them on the _Nagato_ , the bullheads, the fighters and our _Hunters_. Increased efficiency and durability with just a few changes." Ren explained and Ruby cut in.

"Cool!" Jaune and the others turned to her, making her a bit self-conscious, but the captain smiled and gestured for her to come closer, and she did.

"Feeling better?" He asked with a gentle arm around her shoulder.

"A little. Thanks for asking, skipper." She said shyly and with a nod and a smile.

"Very well, how long before every forcefield generator can be updated?" Jaune asked his engineers.

"Well, usual engineers would need a month, but awesome engineers like us will take a week at most!" Nora shouted and made a pose.

"The 3D printers are making the needed components as we speak. The improved gravity floor is more software than hardware, and it will allow us to have gravity even during the initial phases of warp." Ren explained and Jaune sighed. He liked the initial phase gravity-less environment, but conceded it was better having it all the time for tactical purposes.

"And what about this subspace scanner?"

"It allows us to collect data from within the subspace. Apparently they allow us to detect things existing in the subspace and also detect things from normal space while on subspace."

"Wait! There are things in the subspace? I always thought it was just a sea of cosmic energy." Jaune asked, and Ruby looked at them confused.

"Subspace?" She asked, and Ren gave her a small smirk.

"To properly conceive it I would have to teach you complex mathematic formulas that have more letters than numbers." He started, and the displeased face Ruby gave him was all he needs to know. "So I will go for the more didactic route."

"I thought you were going for an easier one…" Ruby lamented, and everyone held a laugh.

"Let's start with warp. Here a movie of the FTLRSS-6 going into warp…"

The movie showed a ship similar to the _Nagato_. From its warp engines come a blue and red aurora-like emission, blue on the left engine and right engine. Once the lights become as big as the ship they curved in the direction of each other and mixed, creating a rainbow colored aurora effect around the ship before it disappeared in a flash of light.

"Wow! This was awesome! Is this what the _Nagato_ do every time we warp?" Ruby asked, her silver eyes glittering.

"Yep, but this one was slowed a hundred times, so you probably just see a flash of light when we do it. What we do is creating two clouds of supercharged subatomic particles in opposed frequencies, and when they get big enough they try to nullify each other they get at each other's throats as Yang and Weiss and warp the normal space in such a way we just dive in the subspace!" Nora explained, and Ruby actually understood that.

"But what exactly is the subspace?"

"We have theories, but Director Ozpin describes it like a woven net of energy that holds existence together. Well, another description would be that the universe is like a fluffy cake where we live in the dough and the subspace is the filling and the topping." Ren finished and Ruby nodded in understanding.

"But then, how we navigate from place to place so fast?"

"Oh, we ride the slipstream! Those weaves that exist in the subspace carry us to place to place like riding the neatest wave ever!" Nora yelled, and Ruby looked at Ren for help.

"Think that the subspace is like trillions of rivers going everywhere, and those rivers travel faster than light since the subspace don't obey the physic laws we have in normal space. We use magnetic fields on the hull to make the ship fall in the right 'river', or slipstream, which goes to the direction we want, and we jump out of warp once we arrive." Ren explained and Ruby nodded, finally understanding all the process.

"This sounds complicated."

"It is, it took Director Ozpin years to get the entire math correctly, a decade to develop the first functional warp engine system and two decades before the _Nagato_." Ren concluded the explanation.

"And one single failure to get my mother lost heavens knows where." They turned to see a displease Yang staring at the screen before she just left in a hurry.

"What happened?" Nora asked, and they looked at Jaune and Ruby, but both remained silent on that matter.

"Ren, priority is upgrading the forcefields. Then I want the subspace scanner, gravity floor upgrade and finally this Devourer sensor, whatever it is. We aren't going anywhere till we have everything working." Ren and Nora nodded and walked towards the work benches to start their job, soon followed by Penny. Jaune turned to Ruby with worry in his eyes. "Should I go talk with Yang?"

"Give her an hour than go talk to her; otherwise she will just punch you in the face." Ruby answered seriously. Jaune just nodded and accepted that as true.

"I have a training session with Pyrrha now; I will talk with Yang later. Why don't you go to the sky deck and look at the stars? It is incredible beautiful when there is no pesky sun to get in the way."

"Are we talking about the star or the Petty Officer?" She asked, and they both shared a laugh.

…

"Wow!"

Ruby floated inside the sky deck and looked through the glass to see the fantastic colors and shapes of the galaxy. She had being there a few times, but this was certainly the most fantastic view she had ever saw. There were clouds as colorful as jewels, so many starts that they looked like crystal dust sprayed in the darkness, formations so breathtaking that she couldn't ever describe them to anyone and that no picture could translate as well as seeing it with their own eyes.

"Hey, little captain." Coco called Ruby, surprising the girl before she pouted.

"Don't call me that, Sergeant!" She shouted and Coco laughed, waving to the red-haired girl to come closer, so Ruby floated towards her and sat at the edge of the deck as the two girls looked at the stars. "I wonder how many of those places don't even exist anymore…"

"Yeah, but you know what would be funny? If we had a telescope powerful enough to look at our planet from here. We would look at it as it was before the Grimm." Coco said, but her voice didn't carried sadness, to Ruby's surprise.

"Do you think we will find it? A planet we can live in?" Coco hugged Ruby pushing the smaller girl closer.

"We will. Look at how vast the galaxy is, and we only know a small part of it. We will find a place for us."

"How can you be sure? After all we saw?" Ruby stared back at the stars, remembering all the sadness and death they found till that moment. Coco petted her a little and smiled.

"Because our CO is dumb." Ruby stared in shock at Coco, but the older girl chuckled and explained. "Any other would have taken the few bad encounters we had and deemed this trip hopeless. But not him. He said that we have a thousand systems to check, and we tend to find what we are searching for in the last place we search, so what happens if we give up in the 999th planet and what we were searching for is on the 1000th?"

"That… makes sense." Ruby agreed.

"I know we had some bad encounters, kiddo, but we did meet a cool alien race. Those Hippolians were nice. So, no point giving up now, OK?" Ruby hugged Coco back this time.

"Thanks, Coco."

"Anytime, little captain."

"Call me this again and I will have you cleaning the latrines." Ruby joked, and they both laughed.

"Ah, there you are, it is our… Oops, sorry, do you two need five more minutes?" Sun asked as his head popped up from the hatch. Ruby and Coco shared a look before noticing the compromising position they were and ended the hug by pushing each other away and blushing.

…

"I am sorry!"

"Pyrrha, for the last time, it's OK. 'Tis but a scratch OUCH!" Jaune winced as Dr. Verd was helping him with a cut on his arm courtesy of Pyrrha's service knife. They were training and she got a little careless. It didn't helped when he said he thought she looked beautiful while fighting making her lose her focus.

"I am sorry!"

"Pyrrha, you apologize one more time and I will make you cook." Jaune said playfully, and the redhead blushed as she remembered the disastrous first attempt at cooking. She didn't blow up the kitchen like Yang nor she poisoned anyone, but her food lacked any and all flavor, aside all the cuts and burns she got.

"I am… yes, Captain." She corrected herself, but kept an eye as the doctor finished stitching him and put a bandage to cover the wound.

"And done. Now, next time you two want to get it on, remember to use protection." She joked, making Pyrrha blush madly while Jaune just stared without getting the joke. "I meant the _Hunter_ , Major. Why were you two even training hand-to-hand combat without them?"

"OH! I-I j-just thought if someone boards the ship and we don't have time to put them it would be better to be prepared." She explained while trying to hide her embarrassment. The doctor smirked and closed her suitcase.

"And Jauney is getting better? At combat, I mean."

"Yes. I never saw someone improve so fast. In fact, Captain, you are quite talented. Why your scores at combat school were so…"

"Abysmal? Horrendous? Worse than a drunken child?" Jaune suggested with a smile.

"I was going to say subpar of what you could do." Pyrrha said with a smile of her own.

"That is because Jauney never wanted to be a soldier before meeting Tenryuu." Shen added and Pyrrha stared at the captain. He chuckled a little before sitting in a bench in the training room.

"I wanted to be a cook. I knew if I failed to get a _Hunter_ license they would put me on some menial task, hopefully the kitchen. Then after finishing the mandatory service, I would become a private cook." It was one of those weird realities in the Remnant Colonies. While restaurants were rare, private cooks would go to people's homes and try to fix a meal with the artificial food. It was quite a good job if you had the talent. "While I always dreamed to be able to do something for the colonies, combat school kind of crushed that dream for a while."

"And the Admiral convinced you somehow?" Pyrrha asked as she sat by his side.

"Well, later on, when it was time for the mandatory service and she drafted me to the Spacy." He explained and took a sip of water from his bottle. "But to be honest, the person that convinced me to try harder was Cardin Winchester." Pyrrha looked at him in shock, as she never expected that despicable man to be one to say something to help another person.

"Him?"

"Yep. It happened in the last year of combat school. He said after beating me up that he would become the next Commander-General and would ban all Faunus, including my sisters. I decided that I wouldn't ever let someone like him to get there, so last year of school I did my best during training with the sole purpose of beating the crap out of him. I defeated him in the last spar we had, get a _Hunter_ license and his last days of school were spent with everyone mocking him for being defeated by 'vomit-boy'." He explained unenthusiastic. Pyrrha nodded in understand and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"And the Admiral?"

"After she snatched me for the Spacy, she told me that someone like Winchester could always ended in a high position just to 'fuck up everything'. That the only thing bad people need to win was to good people do nothing. So she convinced me to prove my worth and go to the officer's school so I could keep people like Cardin in check." Jaune finished giving his half-finished bottle to Pyrrha. "I am going to take a bath now. See you two later."

Pyrrha watched as he got out and thought of her own reasons to become a soldier. It was less about others and more about herself. She always admired the courage of going down on the planet to try to take it back or at least get resources from the colonies and dreamed to be one of those. But now it felt a little bit selfish of her when Jaune became what he is now because he wanted to protect others. She sighed and drank a bit of water.

"How bold of you, Major." The doctor said with a smirk.

"Sorry?" She asked as she sipped from the water once again.

"This is the captain's bottle, so you are indirectly kissing him." Pyrrha almost drowned in the water and blushed terrible as she coughed.

…

"Yang, you know if you don't tell me what is bothering you, someone else will pester you about it." Weiss said in her usual indifferent tone, only to hide she was concerned about the blonde Marine with her face buried on her pillow. "If you are doing this to get the skipper's attention…"

"Not everything I do is because of him, princess." Yang growled back, and Weiss scoffed.

"Stop calling me that. I am not a princess; I am a Marine like you. I saw people dying, I fought the Grimm. I am as much a soldier as you."

"Why?" Yang asked as she sat in her bunker, hugging her pillow.

"Why what?"

"Why are you a soldier? You could live a comfortable life back at the colonies with your father's money and influence."

"You know, you people have a distorted notion about what being 'rich' in Remnant means. How big the average house there is? 20-30 square meters? My apartment was 45, and that was because we needed an office and a table to receive people. I didn't even have my own room. Employees? Just a personal cook. Money? Yes, we had quite a bit, but to buy what? It was not like we had surplus of anything to buy and sell back there. At the most, you could pay someone to modify your clothes or to use a bit of your food share to transform it into other things like beauty creams. Aside things like books and music, there is not much commerce going there." Weiss lectured Yang, and the blonde nodded a bit. Sure it was still better than what most had, but it wasn't THAT better.

"Still, why you stayed at the army?"

"My father… never was the most present one. Mom and my sister Winter were all my family, since he was always too busy with the business to pay attention to us. Then mom died, and it became worse. He stopped treating us as their daughters and more like employees needing to fulfill their obligations. Winter used this as a way to cope with the dead of our mother and once she finished the mandatory service she got into the company." Weiss had a bitter tone as she told that story, and Yang decided to be less confrontational.

"And you were left alone."

"Yes. And combat school wasn't better. Everyone thought I was a delicate flower who would never be a true soldier, even after I kicked their butts in battle. And when service started, it was only after we lost half our platoon in a botched mission that people started to treat me as one of them, and even so I still had to deal with the 'princess' treatment."

"But why you stayed at the army?"

"My father… he wanted me to marry a prominent counselor twice my age to expand his influence in the government. Becoming a Marine was my way to revolt, you could say, but also to not be forced into something I didn't want to and at the same time do something I wanted to." Weiss finished, and Yang sighed and nodded.

"Sorry, I promise to not call you princess anymore."

"Thank you, I appreciate that. Now, your turn. What is troubling you?"

"Family troubles, though mine is different from yours." Yang sighed and hugged her pillow tighter. "I didn't want to be a Marine at first, you know? I wanted to be a Spacy pilot so I could get into Project Beacon and find clues of what happened with my mom. She was the pilot for the FTLRSS-5 and in her very first flight she disappeared. I was just a baby at the time, and dad kept it a secret until Ruby's mom, Summer, that I believed to be my own mom too died. But them, after some stuff happened, I decided that I would not lose family again, and kept an eye on Ruby."

"So when Ruby became a Marine…" Weiss wondered.

"I followed. She was pushed forward two years because how talented she is, but I knew she needed a sisterly figure to help her."

"That was quite selfless of you." Weiss said, surprised that the usually annoying blonde had a side like that.

"Ugh, now I need something full of chocolate." Yang groaned on her pillow.

"Do chocolate cream works for you?" They turned to see Jaune standing there with a bowl filled with the brown dessert and spoons. Yang smiled and waved him to come closer, and she grabbed him pulling him up her bunker and snuggled, and only lucky avoided him to drop the bowl. "Er, Yang?"

"Shush. Snuggles first, chocolatey stress reliever later. Weiss, you will have some and that is an order."

"Since when you are my superior officer?" The white haired girl questioned but she took a spoon anyway.

…

Ten days passed as they finished upgrading the _Nagato_.

Thankfully that little break helped everyone to improve their moods, and soon everything was being hectic again to the displeasure of Glynda. But even her agreed that seem the young crew like that was better than the gloomy mood of the first few days. Now that the ship's modifications were finished and tested, they were reunited at the docking bay to discuss their next step. Velvet activated the holo-screen and the galaxy appeared. The screen zoomed in and a big yellow circle enveloped the green and blue zones.

"The yellow zone is the mission range zone of the _Nagato_. Going to each of its extremes would take us three years in warp. There are hundreds of thousands of star systems here, but we only are aware of a thousand systems with possible planets, thanks to data from the star chart. Unfortunately, half of them are in the green and blue zones…" She explained in a very serious tone.

"This means half of the planets we planned to visit are either occupied or claimed by alien species around this sector. And we also have the Devourer's Line to worry about." Glynda complemented as the red, black and white net appeared. "We don't know how big this is, and the star chart warns us that this line and everything beyond it is dangerous. Velvet projected a simulation of how big this line could really be."

"Considering its format, position and how it goes, if this extends beyond the Mapped Sector…" The net extended and was like it was trying to envelope the green and blue zones and extending into the yellow zone. "…we lose half of all the area we have to explore."

"The blue and green zones were out right of the bat. We won't trade a conflict for another, especially when our side is in disadvantage here. That leave us with less than 300 star systems to check, all in the unknown zone, meaning we basically are back to square one." Jaune completed and they all looked at each other. "Of course, our visit to _The Club_ paid off, as we are not going to waste time with planets we can't have, and we acquired new technology that will help our trip. I know it seems that our efforts aren't amount to anything, but even a kick to our butts are moving us forward. You are the best crew I could have asked for, and I hope to be able to count on you as we dive into uncharted waters."

"Aye aye captain!" They all said in celebration. Jaune chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

"You are all crazy, but the right kind we need right now. Very well, Ren, Nora, how's our girl?"

"Wait, what girl? Did you made a baby when we weren't looking? Tell me it is with Pyrrha as I bet she would be the first one. Though Yang has being going hard and I pretty sure Velvet…" Nora started blabbing making everyone squirm in despair.

"Nora, I am pretty sure the captain is referring to the ship." Ren explained.

"Wait, he is having a baby with the _Nagato_? How's that possible? Does the ship have all the needed parts? Or that would be by Penny? Can Penny even…" By that time Ren put a hand on her mouth while she kept talking.

"I will explain to her later. The _Nagato_ is ready to go whenever you want. All systems are working perfectly." He informed the captain, and Jaune nodded.

"OK, everyone, go to your stations. We resume this trip in fifteen minutes." Jaune informed and the crew disbanded.

…

Jaune sat at his chair at the bridge, and it felt like he hasn't being there for ages. He looked to Neptune and Sun talking to each other, while Coco laughed at a blushing Velvet, not letting go of Nora's slip of tongue. Penny and Glynda stood by the sides of his chair while Ren finally came to man the engineer station at the bridge. He took a deep breath before using the intercom.

"Here's your captain speaking. We are ready to depart to the… Aardvark system and yes, this was a real creature, there are pictures on the library. Time of travel is holy shit six days! Remember to take regular baths. Tonight's dinner will be a mockery of lasagna and dessert will be pie. The flavor will be up your imaginations. In case of emergency paper and pen will fell from the compartments above your heads so you can write your last wishes. If we are forced to land on water we will hope it also has fish or a very sad Blake Belladonna will be seen around." Jaune concluded, gaining a few giggles and muffled laughs from the crew and a roll of eyes from Glynda. "OK, Neptune, engage!"

The _Nagato_ vibrated and warped, and Jaune sighed as the gravity floor was still working. Once again a melancholic music filled his ears, and he spent a few minutes listening to it, before starting humming along. After a while he started singing some lyrics he made up at the moment.

 _Can you hear the calling of the raving wind and water?  
We just keep dreaming of the land 'cross the river  
We are always on the way to find the place we belong  
wandering to nowhere, we're paddling  
down the raging sea_

 _Who can cross over such raving wind and water?  
On the rolling boat we sit, shivering with coldness  
Come by an island, come by a hillock,  
It's just another place, we paddle on  
Down the raging sea_

 _But in one morning we'll see the sun  
Bright shining morning dew singing  
They who will search will find the land  
Of evergreen_

 _Can you hear the calling of the raving wind and water?  
We just keep paddling down the sea, up the river  
No destination, but we are together  
In the silent sadness we're paddling  
Down the raging sea  
Down to nowhere_

Jaune opened his eyes that he didn't realized they were closed to see his crew looking at him in surprise, and that made him self-conscious and blush a little.

"Tell me someone recorded that." Coco started and Velvet raised her hand. "Tell me you broadcast it to the ship!"

"It was a nice song." She admitted shyly, but her eyes were cast on Jaune, and were so intense that he squirmed a little.

"Great. I am just glad my sisters aren't here to hear me singing. Actually, I am glad they aren't here to see a lot of things."

"Don't worry, Captain. I am recording everything so your sisters won't miss any moment of our trip." Jaune paled at that affirmation.

"Penny, we will review your recordings later. I see I need to classify a lot of stuff." He said to a confused android as the _Nagato_ sailed to its next destination.

…

 _A.N.: The son Jaune sang is To Nowhere by Yuki Kajiura, from the .hack series OST._


	18. Strip Omake 2

"And the next question is... what is your sexual fantasy?" Yang asked with a smirk, just to see everyone removing a piece of clothing. "Oh, come on! No one is brave enough to answer this one?"

"Why you don't tell us yours then, Xiao Long?" Weiss said as she finished removing her jacket.

"If no one is telling theirs, I am not saying mine." The blonde answered as she removed her jacket too while everyone said 'ha!' towards her, and she just flipped them.

"Next question is… Most embarrassing moment in your life… Eh, easy, having to explain to Ruby the flowers and the bees."

"Ugh, why you remembered me of that? Dad was of no help and I couldn't look at pregnant women for a week!" Ruby shouted, agreeing that was the most embarrassing moment she ever had.

"Weiss?" The heiress simple removed her shoes. "You are aware that soon you won't have much more to take off?"

"I will take the chance for now, thank you. Besides, how worse those questions can get?" Weiss wondered and Yang smirked evilly. "I hate you."

"Captain?"

"My sisters put me on a dress when I was twelve, and took me to one of their conferences. I had to use the bathroom, and I saw a woman fixing her clothes there and fainted. I was just glad my family took me before the paramedics discovered I was a boy." There was general laughing around.

"Now I want to see you in a dress, I bet you look awesome in a strapless one." Yang commented, and Jaune just groaned and blushed. "Blakey?"

"No." She removed her shoes nonchalantly.

"You WILL tell me when we are alone; I have ways to make you talk, Bella. Velvet?" The bunny girl blushed madly and evaluated that getting naked in the middle of everyone was worse than just talking.

"Singing 'the way the bunny hops' in primary school." She blushed madly and hid her face behind her bunny ears, receiving a bit of aws from the crowd. Some of them really wanted to see that.

"Coco?"

"Ugh… Swimming class, my swimsuit got… a little too much inside my bun and I didn't notice until a lot of people started to catcall me and I had to punch a few." She confessed, and everyone agreed that was pretty terrible to happen.

"Neptune?"

"I never embarrass myself." He said, but Yang's scroll beeped. He removed his shoes soon after as the rules demanded him to remove two pieces if someone lies.

"Oh, tell me his most embarrassing moment is yours too, Sun?"

"Not this time. Mine was when my tail got stuck in a vending machine and I had to wait hours for the rescue to get it free."

"Why your tail was even stuck in a vending machine to begin with?" Blake asked and he shrugged.

"I was thirsty and had no money."

"We all have being there. Glynda!" Yang stared at the Commander, and the older woman just sighed. Like Velvet, she decided to take that bullet.

"Entering the Captain's quarters and seeing he likes to wander there naked after his bath." She confessed with a blush, and Jaune hid his face with his hand.

"We all have being there." Yang commented with a satisfied smirk.

"Wait, you have?" Pyrrha asked in surprise and blushed imagining the blonde boy naked.

"Yep, we have. How about you, champs?"

"I HAVEN'T I SWEAR!" She shouted in surprised, making the blonde girl laugh.

"What is your most embarrassing moment, cereal girl!"

"Oh! Er… One day I found my mom's… 'toy' and ran around the corridors calling it my 'Grimm slaying dagger'." Pyrrha covered her face while most of them laughed at it.

"I am pretty sure there is one actually called that." Yang commented between fits of laughter.

"And of course you would know!" Weiss countered.

"Why your mom have toys?" Ruby asked innocently.

"I will murder the first one to try to explain this to my sister!" Yang growled and everybody shut up.

"I am curious too." Penny said.

"I will explain to you later, Penny, and then I will explain to you why you shouldn't ever repeat this." Glynda said, and Penny smiled and nodded.

"OK, Penny! Most embarrassing moment of your life?"

"I don't have one as I still don't understand the concept." She explained truthfully. They stared at each other and decided to accept her word.

"Ren!" Yang said way too enthusiastically just to see the boy removing one shoe.

"Really?"

"It is a secret that will go with me to my tomb."

"Come on Renny, it wasn't that bad! Everyone thought you had a cute butt! Besides…"

"NORA!" Ren covered his friend's mouth. "You swore an oath!"

"Oops! Sorry, Ren."

"How many pancakes for this secret?" Yang pressed, but Nora just gave back a nervous giggle as Ren stared her down. "OK, Nora?"

"Oh, definitely that one time a guy kissed me and I threw up at his mouth." Nora said, and they weren't sure if she was embarrassed our proud of that.

"Now, Doc, you are the last one to answer. Spill your secrets!"

"Not this time, kids." She removed her shoes. "Let's just say the embarrassment wasn't of what I did, but what I was caught doing."

"Wow. You are one badass, Doc. Next question is…"

…

 _A.N.: Keep sending me questions!_


	19. The Weight We Carry

_...two and a half times normal gravity..._

… _live there?_

… _not immediately, it would take a few…_

… _can support space colonies, viable option…_

… _variety of life forms, no problem with resources…_

… _incoming energy beam!_

… _maneuvers, red alert!_

… _Captain!_

…

…

…

"Jaune?"

"Urgh…"

"Jaune, wake up!"

"What hit us?"

"Jaune, we will be late!" The blonde boy opened his eyes slowly and saw a familiar redhead looking at him with a concerned face. He blinked twice and blushed a little.

"Major, why are you at my quarters?"

"Major? Quarters? Jaune, what are you talking about?" She asked worriedly. Jaune then shot up and held her gently but with a strong grasp on her arms, his face so close to hers that she couldn't help but blush madly.

"The ship! The crew! What hit us!?" He shouted in panic before feeling a hand on his shoulder and seeing Ren standing by his side.

"Jaune, calm down. You probably had a nightmare." The boy said in his usual calm tone.

"What are you talking about, Lieutenant, what happened to the…" He finally looked around and noticed he wasn't in the _Nagato_ anymore. It was an incredible spacious room, and it had windows by one of the sides, from where sunlight and a breeze came. He looked and saw Pyrrha, Ren and Nora looking worriedly at him, but instead of the Armed Forces uniforms they were wearing weird clothes he never saw before, and Pyrrha even had a type of headpiece on hers and make-up.

"I think you had some bad dream from your time on Navy School, Jauney-Jauney. Is that PTSD? Where you having dreams about the war? Did you rescue your fellow sailors from sharks while your ship was sinking after being hit by a torpedo?" Nora started babbling while Jaune looked around in confusion.

"I don't think Jaune had to do that, Nora. Have you?"

"No! But… Where are we?" Pyrrha looked at him and gently held his face with her hands.

"We are at Beacon Academy, Jaune. Don't you remember?" He looked around and had no recollection of that place. All he remembered was that the _Nagato_ was scanning a big planet that could be used to support the colonies and then some light beam hit them, and that is all he could muster at the moment.

"The others? Ruby, Velvet?" He asked as a headache settled in.

"Knowing them, Velvet is already in the mess hall, while Ruby and her team will once again be late. And us, if we don't hurry. But if you aren't feeling well, I can take you to the infirmary." Jaune took a deep breath and got up, feeling his body complaining. Pyrrha supported him, and he smiled at her, trying to be comforting.

"I will get ready. My uniform?" He asked looking around, and Nora handled him the outfit.

"Here oh valiant leader!" Jaune stared at it for a moment and looked down on himself.

"What the hell am I wearing?" He asked as he noticed the blue onesie with bunnies.

"Pay up! I told you one day he would realize!" Nora celebrated with her hand extended towards Ren, and he gave her a few cards.

"Jaune, go get dressed, we have Prof. Port's class this morning." Pyrrha urged him, and Jaune nodded and looked at the door he hoped was a bathroom.

He entered there and noticed the spacious room, full of weird things he didn't knew about and some he could identify with. He removed his clothes and looked at the big mirror, and saw a younger version of himself. The blonde boy had no idea what was happening, but everyone except him didn't seem to be freaking out. He put the uniform and wondered what school used such complex and stupid clothing as uniforms.

"Penny, if you are listening, I am giving you permission to do whatever it takes to keep the crew and the ship safe. I will try to solve this from whatever I am, so if you can, help me here." He spoke out before fixing the tie. Ties… why people liked to have those around their neck were beyond his comprehension. After finishing dressing and cleaning up he left the bathroom and Pyrrha once again was the first to greet him.

"Jaune, are you sure you are OK?" She asked worryingly as she fixed his tie, and he smiled and patted her shoulder.

"Yes I am, Pyr. Let's go." He lied, as he was panicking in the inside, but whatever was happening, his instincts told him to not show. It wouldn't be good if everyone thought he was going insane.

He followed Nora and Ren by the ample corridors of the building they were inside, and surprised to see plants and trees on the outside, and a sun in the sky. He wasn't in a space station, which was clear. There were many young people walking around, but he didn't recognize any of them. They entered probably the biggest room Jaune ever saw, the mess hall, and they directed him to get food. Jaune was surprised they were free to take as much food they wanted, so he concluded that place had surplus of resources. He took the usual amount he was used to, and Pyrrha asked if he wasn't hungry. The truth is that he was starving, but yet the amount of food he took was what he learned to be all he needed, but he agreed that compared to the huge pile of pancakes Nora took his own meal looked meager. Yet he reassured his friend as they sat in the table and started eating.

"Oh, I had a dream were I was fighting an evil empire and…"

Nora started to tell one of her wild dreams and Jaune ignored as he kept observing his surroundings. He mindless put the food on his mouth, and was surprised on how tasteless it was, almost like Pyrrha cooked it. Jaune kept trying to find someone else familiar to him, when he heard a yelp. As he turned around, he saw two familiar faces, one he liked a lot and other he despised with all his might.

Velvet Scarlatina and Cardin Winchester.

Both were wearing the same uniform as everyone else, but Cardin was pulling one of Velvet's ears and laughing, while the poor girl made a very displease face. The group looked at that in disgust.

"Will he ever stop being a bully?" Pyrrha said followed by a sigh.

"As long as he believes he can, I think he will." Ren concluded as he sipped his tea.

"Our glorious leader will teach him a lesson." Nora commented with a smirk.

"Wait…What?" Both Ren and Pyrrha asked as they turned to see Jaune left the table and stomped in the direction of the bully.

"Winchester! Take your hands of her!" he growled in a commanding tone, making everyone on the cafeteria stop and look at that confrontation. Cardin and Velvet stared at Jaune like they couldn't believe he was there, staring angrily at the bigger boy.

"Fuck off, Jauney boy! I am just playing with my pet." Cardin smirked as he kept pulling the girl's ears.

"Did I hear you calling her a pet? Who the hell you think you are, Winchester?" Jaune said without hesitation, this time making the bully hesitate, his grip on Velvet's ear loosening enough for her to escape him.

"Who do…"

"Shut up, Winchester, I don't need you answer because I know it already. You are just a piece of trash that believe the world owe you something because your pitiful existence happened. So you better get your shit together before I have to do something!" The tone and posture that Jaune was displaying surprised everyone, and it took Cardin a few seconds to react.

"You little piece of shit!" He was about to punch Jaune when he noticed Pyrrha and the rest of his friends behind him, and Coco approaching angrily.

"Winchester! Did you touch my bunny?" She shouted and Velvet hid behind her, and the bully lowered his fist.

"I will get you for this, you fake." He whispered before leaving, making sure to hit Jaune with his shoulder as he walked away. Jaune groaned in displeasure before turning to Velvet.

"Are you OK?" Velvet looked in surprise and nodded.

"Some things never change…" Jaune talked to himself before gently caressing Velvet's shoulder, making her blush and Pyrrha stared at him with jealousy. Ren was shocked while Nora was praising him.

"Thanks for helping Vel, Arc. I knew there was a fighter somewhere inside you." Coco said punching him in the shoulder and Jaune wondered if that was a friendly gesture or a murder attempt as he rubbed the place she hit.

"Come on, we will talk about it later, we need to go to class now." Ren said and Jaune nodded, and they walked towards the classroom.

Jaune felt a bit of familiarity in the classroom, aside the fact it was way more spacious than what he expected it to be. It was pretty like the training room at the Colonies. His group sat down, Jaune by Pyrrha's side and Ren and Nora closer to the end of the table. The boy widened his eyes as Prof. Port entered, and if not for the fact the old man wasn't wearing the formal colonel attire, it was the same Port he remembered.

He was about to start class when fireteam RWBY stormed inside, falling on top of each other, making everyone laugh. After apologizing they sat in the same table as Jaune and the others, Yang by his side, then Ruby, Weiss and Blake. The blonde girl smiled playfully when she sat by his side, hugging his arm.

"Hey, vomit boy. Aren't you lucky to have a hottie like me sitting by your side?" She said with a sultry tone, and Jaune blushed a little while Weiss, Ruby and Pyrrha stared at her disapprovingly.

"Xiao Long, you won't refer to me like that, ever. Understood?" He said, once again using the commanding tone he used at Cardin. Everyone stared at him in surprise, and Yang slowly let go of him.

"What bit you?" She asked in a whisper as Port was ranting about his past glories.

"The drill sergeant mosquito!" Nora whispered shout with a big grin on her face. Jaune sighed and gentle put his hand over Yang's, making the blonde girl look at him surprised and blush a little.

"Sorry, Yang, I had a bad night of sleep and I am a bit cranky." Yang stared at his eyes and nodded a little, before gently holding his hand back.

"OK, I will forgive you, but you owe me your dessert." She said with a wink, and Jaune nodded before paying attention to the class in an attempt to search information about the world he found himself in.

He learned the planet was called Remnant like the colonies, and the creatures of Grimm existed, and they dominated most of the land but not all. He learned that Beacon was a Hunter's school where people were being trained to fight the Grimm using their Auras and Dust to keep the creatures at bay. He learned of the four kingdoms, and that Beacon was in vale. Jaune learned that the White Fang existed there, about Faunus discrimination, the fact that different from his Remnant that one still hoped to win that war.

It was incredible how much information Port could convey in his lectures if you actually paid attention.

…

"OK, that is enough. Jaune, what is wrong with you?" Pyrrha asked, worry filling her voice.

They all sat outside for launch, under a huge tree, and Jaune was more concerned in admiring the place and wonder if his own world could have looked like this if they had actually be able to fight the Grimm back than paying attention at his friends chaotic behavior. He only snapped from his thoughts when two new familiar voices approached.

"And here it is Sergeant Arc!" Sun said as he sat with them, a banana in his mouth.

"Talk of the day, the guy that basically ordered Cardin Winchester into submission to save a lady in danger." Neptune said with a bright smile.

"Wait, what happened?" Ruby asked and Nora was more than happy to tell the tale, adding a lot of fantastical details, but even after Ren fixed it Jaune received some approving stares, some pats from Ruby and even some praise from Weiss and Yang.

"I never expected you to had such determination, Arc." Weiss half praised him. Yang on the other hand had other plans.

"Look at our little knight, so brave." She said as she pressed her chest on his side.

"Yang, stop teasing him." Pyrrha begged, not noticing she also was pressing herself on Jaune.

 _Or maybe she is? Why have I never noticed before they are so… alluring? Enticing? Bewitching would be the better word. Pyrrha have these expressive green emerald eyes, and her voice is so sweet. The way her hands feels is so comforting. Yang on the other hand is so upbeat and bright, her lilac eyes so full of life and so… maternal, somehow. And oh heaves she is so soft and I…_

Jaune shook his head to make the weird thoughts get out of his head, and took a deep breath as he saw his crew… his friends talking with no worry in the world, so different from what they used to in the _Nagato._ The place they were standing wasn't bad either, so full of space, and it even had a breeze, and a shade, and grass, things he only knew from books and movies. And while the Grimm still existed, it was not a hopeless, lost battle yet, and no one gave him signs that it was going to be the case. It was almost… peaceful… Despite Cardin Winchester being there too.

"Jaune? Jaune!" Pyrrha shouted at him, getting the boy out of his thoughts once again. "Jaune, I am taking you to the doctor. We have combat class later and you can't be spacing out like this."

"Yeah, I think you are right. Sorry for worrying you like that. I am probably just a little under the weather." He said trying to give her a reassuring smile, and she nodded as she helped him up.

…

"It is probably just stress. Things have being a bit hectic around here in the last weeks." Dr. Verd explained as she finished checking Jaune. He looked around the 'med bay' and noticed how little equipped it was when compared to the one in the Nagato. It was almost like no one ever got seriously hurt there.

"Yeah, I think it might be just that. Doc, have you ever waked up with the impression everything around you is just… wrong? Like, it wasn't supposed to be like this?" Jaune asked, hoping the doctor would not just assume he is crazy.

"Sometimes, but that usually involved huge amounts of alcohol or illegal drugs… the last one I never did." She corrected herself while Jaune raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, have you done any of those lately?"

"No. Unless I used something that made me forget I used it."

"These ones are hardcore… not that I would know. Anyway, there is nothing physically wrong with you, Jauney, but I can get you a note so Glyn will not put you up a spar today, if you want to." She said in a comforting tone of voice, and Jaune nodded in agreement. Soon she delivered him the note and he put it on his pocket. "Now, if you still few gloomy, I want you to come back here, OK?"

"Sure, Doc. Sorry for giving you so much trouble. Sometimes it feels like you have taking care of me forever."

"Just a decade, Jauney. But I regret nothing." She said with a smirk before shooing Jaune off the infirmary.

He trailed off lost in thoughts as the mid-day sun warmed him up. It felt so different, so pleasant. Now he understood why the first space dwellers sang so much about going back to the planet, and why some of the veterans in the Marines loved to be deployed despite the dangers. He actually hated those few times he was forced to deploy as part of his mandatory training. The planet had lost its green and became a rocky and sandy desert covered in ruins and dead trunks of what were once trees.

But there, in that place, he now understood.

Yet he wondered what he should do. There he had everything people in Remnant would sell their first born to have, yet he didn't know why. If that was an alternative universe, it certainly was one he wouldn't mind living in. But then, what about those left back? Could he really chose staying there and leaving everyone else to suffer? His family? As he walked mindless around he didn't notice until he collided with two girls where he was going.

"Ouch! Sorry about that."

He looked up and saw two girls, twins. Both had beautiful, shining black hair, clear green eyes of a different shade than Pyrrha's, snow white skin and pink lips. He would be lying if he didn't found them very attractive. They wore the school's uniform, but had a head piece. The one with shorter hair had a red feather, while the long haired one had a white flower. They both stared him down.

"You should be more aware of your surroundings." The long haired twin said with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Come on Mel, he already apologized. Maybe we could cut him some slack." The short haired on answered and looked back at Jaune, this time with a small smile.

"You are too soft, Miltia. If we let this go he will probably just use the opportunity to 'accidentally' fall on girls around here." Mel answered back and cast a deadly stare at Jaune, making him gulp hard.

"He doesn't look like the kind of person to do this." Miltia answered her sister, and then glared at Jaune back.

"I… uh… No! I would never! I am sorry! Look, I have combat class soon, so maybe after that I could… I dunno… treat you two?" Jaune said and then cursed internally as that sounded way more flirty than he wanted to. The twins giggled and smiled at him.

"What is your name?" Mel asked, and he took a few seconds before understanding they weren't offended.

"Arc. Jaune Arc."

"I am Miltiades, call me Miltia, and this is my sister Melanie." The short haired twin answered now with a sweet expression. Melanie was also smiling, but had the same teasing smile Yang had most of the time.

"I will decide if I will allow you to call me Mel after our little date, Jaune. So, are you good at fighting?"

"Me? I am usually at the losing end. Besides, I would rather be fighting Grimm than other people." Jaune answered honestly, and the twins shared curious glances before looking back at him.

"Uh, I would expect you to be all about trying to be an alpha and other stupid stuff like that." Melanie commented, and Jaune gave a nervous chuckle as he scratched his head.

"There was a time I probably was like that."

"And what changed your mind?" Miltiades asked; voice laced in genuine curiosity.

"I just discovered… there are other things I am good at that isn't fighting, and if I can help other that way. I don't really need the glory and the spotlight." The twins once again traded glares and smiled at Jaune.

"So, I hope to see you soon again, Jaune Arc. We might not be able to have you treat us right away, but we will hold on you to treat us sometime." Melanie said as the two girls approached Jaune, making him slightly nervous.

"Do you promise?" Miltiades asked; her green eyes locked on his blue ones. He gulped and wondered why he was feeling like he knew those girls, despite being the first time he saw them.

"Yeah, of course. An Arc never goes back with his word." Then both girls kissed his cheek, making him blush madly.

"Be strong, Jaune Arc." They said as a farewell and walked away, leaving behind a flustered and confused blonde.

…

Crocea Mors.

It was so weird to see it there. It was an old relic, from before the colonies, and according to Jaune's father it fought Grimm in the hands of his ancestors. Now it was just an old relic that his father kept on the wall to remember then the entire lineage of heroes that composed the Arc family. But here, in that odd world, people still fought using such primitive weapons, powered by their Semblances and Auras.

Ad they were displaying a great show, Jaune had to admit as he focused on the arena instead of the weird combination of weaponry and armor Pyrrha said was his usual battle attire.

Pyrrha and Ruby fought each other, and seeing both so skillfully used such weapons was certainly a show in itself. Jaune was sure now that they could fight AND win against Grimm with that display of skill, even if they weren't wearing power armors. But yet the blonde couldn't help but feel like he didn't belonged there.

"Mr. Arc, your turn. You will fight Mr. Winchester again." Glynda Goodwitch called, and Jaune stared at her for a second. It was both so familiar seeing her as an instructor and so weird since she really was dressed like a teacher. Jaune was about to deliver the note Dr. Verd gave him when Cardin shouted.

"Come on, Jauney boy! If you don't play with me, maybe I should play with one of your sisters! I am sure not only they would kick more ass than you, they would love 'playing' with me." He laughed, but Glynda started chastising him over his behavior, and Jaune crunched the note on his hand.

"I am going, Comma… Ms. Goodwitch."

Jaune stood up, to the surprise of his friends. They all wished him good luck, and the blonde boy recognized the look on their faces. They wanted him to win, but none hoped he would. It was a look he was used since he started in combat school. He walked down as everyone tried to cheer him up, but even Pyrrha had the same look. As he walked down he saw Velvet and coco with two boys, and one of them caught Jaune's attention with his body covered in scars and his white eyes.

"Any moment now, Mr. Arc." Glynda called him, and Jaune approached the taller boy that had the usual smug smirk in his face. Jaune stood before him and Glynda resumed talking. "Standard rules, first whose Aura drop into the red loses. Begin."

Cardin didn't waste his time to start an onslaught of attacks against Jaune. Everything moved faster and hit harder, the blonde thought, and his attempts of blocking and countering were certainly failing. Jaune cursed under his breath his lack of fighting skills and specially the fact he didn't had the advantage of Pyrrha interfering in the fight or even better equipment on his side, but most of all, he hated the fact Cardin couldn't just shut up.

"You know, Jauney boy, you shouldn't be here. You don't have the skills, the strength or even the attitude of a warrior!" Carding shouted as he kept using his mace against Jaune's shield. "You can't defeat anyone! You can't protect anyone! You shouldn't be team leader! I will defeat you again! No one believes in you! You are nothing more than a disappointment!"

Jaune's mind returned to the colonies as he kneeled over another attack. He knew that the Cardin he knew thought that, and probably his hack of a father, the councilman. He was sure Ironwood thought he wasn't appropriate for the job. Probably a lot of people back there wanted someone more experienced, more victorious to be captain of the _Nagato_. He looked back at the stands to see their friends there, all shouting words of support towards him, some with worried looks.

"Now it is time to taste the flavor of defeat again, Jauney boy!"

Cardin held his mace over his head and swung it down.

But this time, Jaune blocked it, and as he stood up he punched Cardin under his chin, making the taller boy stumble back. Cardin growled and attacked again, and Jaune easily blocked this time, and kicked his adversary back with a powerful kick.

Silence.

"You know, I know what you are." Jaune slashed the enemy, the mace flung aside.

"You piece of shit!" Cardin yelled as he rushed to retrieve his weapon.

"I am not the best fighter, but I never needed to be."

"That is why you hide behind your friends!" Carding growled with another attack. Slowly, the people around turn into black silhouettes.

"No, that is why I count on them, as they count on me. When I saw you, I thought you were soldier material, strong and competent, something I wasn't. But the truth is that you are a bully, an asshole, too self-centered to care about others, a coward that would only go after an easy target."

"YOU ARE THE WEAK ONE!" Another attack, this time Jaune just dodged, Cardin landing on his face.

"I was weak because I envied you. Then I was weak because I feared you. Then I was weak because you become a symbol. A symbol of my insecurities, fears and doubts. And until now I still carried these with me. I still doubted myself. But I should thank you, because you made me remember why I am doing this." Jaune put his foot on Cardin's chest, sword hovering the bully's face. "Because my family believes in me. Admiral Tenryuu believes in me. My crew believes in me. The only other one who doubted me was I. But now I know why I am doing this trip. So my family and friends can live in a place like this. So no one needed to put up with a jerk like you because you are 'needed'."

Jaune kicked Cardin's head, and the arena disappeared in a flash of light.

…

"Jaune! Jaune! JAUNE!"

"I am up! Stop yelling!"

Jaune bolted up and startled everyone. Apparently they cramped everyone on the Nagato in the bridge and as he sat up his face came dangerously close to both Velvet's and Yang's faces as the two girls were sitting by his side on the ground. The bunny girl got incredible red and started stuttering while Yang smirked. Dr. Verd was scanning him as everyone looked concerned.

"How long I was offline?" Jaune asked as he motioned to stand up but Pyrrha held him firmly but gently down. Apparently he was using her lap as a pillow.

"Just two minutes, I just arrived, together with everyone. I will tell what, Jauney, you have one loyal crew when the news their captain was down was enough to make even the ones that were sleeping rush up here." The doctor said and Jaune finally noticed many were in their sleepwear. Some of them a bit too revealing for his poor heart.

"OK, everyone, I am OK now. Ren, what the hell happened?"

"We were hit by a slipstream." The boy answered after spending a few seconds to be sure his captain was alright.

"I thought it was impossible for the subspace energy come to our side." Jaune pondered.

"It isn't, as that was what just happened. Now, if you question how, I don't have an answer for that."

"It was probably an inverse warp. Since we use high-energy fields to warp, maybe two fields like that naturally happened on the subspace and made the slipstream leak on our side." Nora said and everyone but Ren stared at her in surprise. It was easy to think she was just a bubblehead, but Nora was quiet a genius when she wanted to be.

"Nora's theory is probably right, as usual, but I will have an answer after we check the data."

"Why those subspace sensors we installed didn't warned us?" Jaune asked as the doctor kept examining him.

"They are only online when we are in the subspace. I will make sure they are always on from now." Ren concluded and Jaune nodded.

"Do it. Commander, the bridge is yours as I will go with Doc to get a thoroughly examination." Jaune once again tried to stand up when he felt Pyrrha still holding him down. "Major, I can walk; it will be easy to get to the med bay instead of having someone carrying me."

"I will do it." Pyrrha, Yang and Velvet said at the same time, causing a few muffled snickers around.

"Major, help me with the captain." The doctor said putting the wellbeing of her patient before the utter amusement the situation was providing. "I will give a status report once I finish checking him."

…

It took an hour before the doctor decided Jaune was fine, and another just to convince the crew to resume their normal activities and let him rest in his room. And that not counting trying to make Velvet, Pyrrha and Yang understand he didn't need a 'nurse', and the mental image was forever ingrained in Jaune's mind. He rested in his bed, wondering exactly what happened. Dr. Verd stated that it was no different from a knockout and his brain receiving the shock of the energy wave just made the dream he had.

 _For a dream, it was incredible realistic. The only mistakes was the fact Dr. Verd couldn't be my doctor for ten years there, the lack of flavor on the food, and that guy with Velvet and Coco, since I only saw him dead as we carried his corpse back to the Colonies, the reason I could only see him with scars and white eyes._

" _So that was our mistake."_

Jaune shot up and looked around. The voice he just heard was familiar, but in the moment he looked around there was only silence.

"Am I going insane?" He wondered.

" _You aren't going insane. But we will keep an eye on you_."

"Who are you?" Jaune inquired as he stood up.

" _From now on, a friend_." The feminine voice answered, filled with echoes. " _You passed the first of many tests, Captain Jaune Arc of the Nagato. We will meet again, as you have a promise to keep. Until them, we bid you a safe journey._ "

"Wait!" No answer came. "Great. I probably shouldn't tell the crew of this. Unless they want to lock me up in the brig." Jaune sighed and was about to return to bed when he heard knocking on his door. He opened up to see a redhead, a blonde and a brunette standing there.

"We decided to take care of you. Pyrrha and Velvet will clean your quarters while I nurse you." Yang immediately stated, receiving a glare from the other girls.

"I won the draw!" Velvet shouted, and blushed soon after as she avoided Jaune's surprised gaze.

"Girls, please, we are here to help him." Pyrrha calmly stated as the three barged inside the captain's quarters. Jaune just sighed and accepted they would not leave him alone until they decided he was healthy.

 _No rest for the wicked…_


	20. Mission: Accomplished?

"Are you sure this is the team you want to take with you, Major?" Glynda asked as Pyrrha, Velvet, Coco, Sun and Neptune prepared to go down in the sixth planet of the Zebra system.

"I am sure, Commander. I think this will help us in working better together. It won't do if we always let fireteam RWBY go." Pyrrha answered as she fixed her _Hunter_ and her weapons.

Zebra-6 was a rocky planet covered in moss, lichen and fern, with a series of underground passages and tunnels. It had a very moist atmosphere, and Velvet believed that under the greenery they could find liquid water. Glynda wanted to send the usual team, but the redhead convinced her that the rest of the crew needed to experience an away mission more often to be prepared in case the usual culprits were unavailable.

Besides, Pyrrha still wanted to learn a bit more about leadership, a skill she was sure she was lacking. Velvet wanted to 'fix' her mistake from the last time, and hoped to not burn the whole planet down. Coco wanted to be close to her best friend, while Sun and Neptune were tired of sitting in the ship's bridge most of the time. So in the end Glynda accepted it as a way to improve morale. Yet while the Commander trusted Coco and Velvet, she still had reservations about Sun and Neptune.

The fact the duo were drawing a naked mermaid in the bullhead at that moment didn't helped their case.

"She doesn't look like a monkey." Coco commented at the drawing with her sunglasses on the tip of her nose.

"We aren't calling the bullhead the _Seamonkey_ anyway, no matter how much Yang thinks we should follow a theme, one that I still fail to realize what it is." Neptune answered as he finished with the drawing, and it was quite a masterpiece.

"So, what do you think?" Sun asked as the blonde mermaid sitting in a missile was finished.

"It looks like the Commander." Coco answered as she lowered her sunglasses further and eyed the painting.

"Uh. Coincidence." Sun dismissed with a nervous smirk.

"I will decide that after you come back from your mission, Petty Officer." Glynda commented as she approached them and looked at the painting with more than a little displeasure. "You are cleared to go, but for heaven's sake, try to behave this time!"

They nodded and put their helmets before boarding the bullhead.

The flight down was uneventful. The planet was covered in small bushes of fern and the ground was mostly lichens and moss. Velvet saw rain in the distance, and hoped that they would find enough water to build a colony there. The planet had close air composition to what they needed, only slightly high in oxygen, and a slightly lower gravity than the standard. All they needed is confirm the life forms there were carbon/water based, so the bunny girl was eager to land and do her job.

"OK everyone, hold tight, I am gonna land. Heh, just kidding, it will be a soft, nice landing." Neptune said and the bullhead touched down…

And fell into a hole that the ferns were hiding.

It took a few seconds after the bullhead finally 'landed' for them to realize what happened. Luckily the bullhead landed in the right position, just a bit too rough for their taste, and they all prepared to get out, though Coco made sure to slap the back of Neptune's head. Once they opened the door, they found themselves in a completely alien world. This time, quite literally.

The surface, or maybe underground, was composed of rock columns that where reminiscent of tree trunks, and those were covered in luminescent moss. Around them they saw all sorts of small critters, from insects to frogs to lizards. Under their feet there was several water streams running, probably the responsible for the rock formations. Looking up they were down just a few meters, and the fern made nets between the top of the columns. Velvet grabbed her scanner and started analyzing the surroundings.

"Yes! Water! Carbon based wildlife! Normal levels of radiation and no toxic components detected!" She celebrated with a few hops.

"Are you saying… we found it?" Neptune asked, and Velvet nodded. Neptune and Sun hugged each other and jumped in happiness.

"OK, calm down you three. I know those are good news, but we still need to walk around and be sure there are no hidden surprises." Pyrrha said while a pang of guilty feeling her as she saw the dejected body language on her team. She was glad she couldn't see their face under the helmets too. " _Nagato_ , here is landing team."

" _Here is the Nagato. Today's promotion is buy one get another free. Would you like to know more?_ "

"Very funny, Yang. We landed… successfully. Initial analysis is promising. We will proceed exploring the area for a while."

" _Be careful, cereal girl. Remember to stay away from dark holes, big pools and aliens trying to be too helpful_."

"Will do. He will contact again in an hour. Over." Pyrrha finished talking, and made a sign to Coco. The brunette nodded and opened a small case, and from there several small drones flew away. "Everyone, we move along the stream for now. Our main objective is finding evidence of intelligent life for now. The mobile scanners will give us an idea of what to expect here."

"Hope we don't find anything trying to eat us." Neptune said as he locked the bullhead.

"Maybe, maybe not. With such a tight place, things don't tend to get too big." Velvet said as she prepared her railgun. "At least we don't have to worry about the planet being flammable."

They shared a small laugh and started walking around. The small streams never got to become a river, at most they turned into creeks were small fish swan. Apparently the planet lack of any significant change in the landscape made water never stop flowing in that spread fashion. As they walked, the wildlife was mostly small, the biggest ones being some type of lizards no bigger than a cat.

The streams of water reunited in a water mirror, no bigger than the docking area of the Nagato, and Velvet used that point to analyze more samples, and she hummed all along as she grabbed moss, fungus and other green stuff to analyze.

"Can we eat that?" Coco asked as Velvet held a colorful and shine mushroom.

"The luminescence is provided by phosphoric components. Probably better to not eat it _in natura_. But we can use this as basis in our food plants. The water is also rich in phosphorous components, but a simple filter would solve that. Coco, this planet is a prime candidate!"

"So, that is how it ends? I was hoping to end with an epic space battle where we do one last effort to save the galaxy."

"Not all stories need to end with a bang."

"Ours can't end just with a Yang." Coco said making Velvet groan. "Fine, I will let the bad puns to the blonde."

"Please." Velvet answered with a roll of eyes when she noticed Sun and Neptune walking away from the group. "Where are you two going?"

"We need to take a leak." Sun answered and Neptune slapped his head.

"Man, that is not how you talk with a lady!"

"Come on! She is a Marine too! No need to be so formal!"

"You two are not doing it." Velvet simple said with a hand on her hip.

"What?" they both asked at the same time.

"I am not allowing any contamination on this planet until we have more data. Just do as everyone else and pee on your armors." _Hunter_ armors had the capacity to retrieve and recycle human waste in small quantities. Not that any of them wanted to know how and what is done with that.

"Come on, Sergeant. It is icky and uncomfortable doing it on the armor." Sun begged.

"No! We don't know yet what our contaminants can do to this ecosystem. I won't risk a prime planet because you two want to pee on it!" Velvet said as commanding as she could be.

"Velvet!" they turned around to see Pyrrha staring at one of the stone columns. "Come here a minute."

"Coming, Major! Coco, if they try to do it, give them more crouch room. With a hot knife!" Velvet threatened and the two boys covered their sensible area with their hands. The bunny walked towards the Major to see what she was looking at.

"Those markings, are they natural?" Pyrrha asked as they looked a series of deep markings in the stone following what seemed to be a pattern. They weren't deep, but there was a certain precision on them.

"Hard to tell. Maybe it was made by an animal or other natural occurrence. Let's try to find more of them." Velvet suggested, and they spread out a little to search for more signs.

As they walked around searching for signs, Velvet noticed that night was coming and they reunited to discuss what to do. Pyrrha decided they should eat and do some nightly research for a while. They sat in a dry clearance of stone and they put the bright lamp in the middle of them and finally removed their helmets. The smell was the first thing they noticed. It wasn't unpleasant, juts so different from the usual sterile smell of ships and space stations.

They silently and dejectedly ate the unsavory rations they packed with them. It was really that hard to go back to standard food when Jaune could make it tastes good, and especially after tasting real food for once. Pyrrha decided to call the _Nagato_ and give them a report in order to keep her mind out of the food.

" _Here is the Nagato. At the moment all our attendants are dealing with a raging heiress_."

"Captain, can we do it serious for once?" Pyrrha said, suppressing a giggle.

" _Nah. Once I am admiral, I will make this the standard._ "

"Oh, dreaming high now?" Pyrrha now laughed heartily.

" _Yeah! I mean, we need to plan the future! By the way, how are the things down there?_ "

"Kind of boring, right now. The planet is nice, it seems, and I wouldn't mind living here. Velvet?"

"Initial analyses are promising. We are just investigating some markings we found that might be signs of an intelligent species." There was a moment of silence before Jaune answered back.

" _Make sure to find the origins of those markings. I don't want us to move in and discover we have neighbors. But be careful. I hope Neptune and Sun aren't giving you girls, troubles_."

"Don't worry, skipper, we are keeping an eye…" Pyrrha noticed the two boys were not in sight anymore. "…on them. I will call you back."

The three girls geared up and Pyrrha used her Hunter to locate the two sneaky officers. Luckily they didn't drifted away too far, and the Major was planning what punishment she should deliver to them once they are found. Different from the Colonies, the night gave them more light there as the fluorescent life under the shade of the columns and fern glowed brighter. Soon they found the two boys kneeled and observing something. As the girls reached them, they finally saw what they were seeing.

Between the stone columns, slowly, a group of giant snail-like creatures slowly moved around, their bright colored eyes on top of antennae moving back and forth. They were reaping mushrooms from the columns with long beige tentacles and putting them into baskets, some of them using stone made knives for the job. Their shells were painted in lively colors and they would use an extra antenna with a glowing orb on top to communicate with each other using a series of different colored flashes of light.

"That explains the scratch marks on the stones." Sun whispered as he noticed the girls kneeling by his side.

"So, we go down there and present ourselves? How we even do that? 'Hey, we are aliens from another planet and we kind of want to move here. We are cool, OK?'" Neptune wondered.

"I don't think they can communicate with us. Our translators are made to match vocals and mind waves. It doesn't have the capacity to translate our words into light." Velvet said as she watched the slow work of the snail-like creatures. "A primitive gathering culture. I think we should follow them."

"Is this wise? We don't know what they can do." Pyrrha wondered, not kin into putting the team in harm's way.

"We are here to learn about this planet. The best way is to observe the natives." Velvet justified, and Pyrrha agreed, if a bit reluctantly.

The group waited for hours before the snail-people finished their job, and slowly returned to their village. After a few hundred meters (that they wasted an hour crossing due to the slow pace of the snail-people) they reached their village. There was houses made of fern and stone, and there were several of those creatures of different size. On the middle of the village there was a pool of water surrounding some columns with bright pink globes attached to them.

"That stuff on the lake looks delicious." Coco commented as she looked at the pink globes.

"I am pretty sure those are eggs." Velvet commented.

"Hmm, I like eggs."

"Coco, I think those are snail-people eggs." The bunny girl explained, and Coco eyed them again.

"Damn."

At that moment they heard some weird shrieks, and the snail-people hid inside their shells. From the opposite sides came lizards throttling and shrieking. They were the size of a big dog, and jumped around like kangaroos. Some of them fell in hole traps dug around the village, but many just jumped on the shells. They had nail-shaped skull and used it to hammer against the shells of the snail-people. Their constant and hard bangs opened the shells and the lizard like creatures started to eat the soft innards. Coco motioned to interfere but Pyrrha hold her back; shaking her head to signalized they wouldn't interfere. The lizards rushed around the pool that protected the eggs, but none dared to try to get them. After killing three of the creatures and devouring them, the lizards moved away.

It took several minutes before the snail-people emerged from their shells. They looked around wary, but once they decided they were safe, they approached the remains of their dead. There was a soft gloomy glow from their antenna, and a few pulsations of light as they carried the shells. The team followed from the distance and found what could only be defined as a cemetery, where the shells were deposited upside down and the opening filled with soil, from where colorful flowers bloomed. There was a sharing of lighting pulses between the snail-people, and one of them carved a series of slits in a column of stone nearby with a stone tool.

Once they finished, they returned to the village and entered their huts.

The team stood there for a few moments before returning to the bullhead.

…

"Man, I can't wait to return home. Do you think they will have a parade for us?" Sun commented as the bullhead started taking off.

"What are you talking about?" Velvet questioned as she removed her helmet to let her ears free. While the modifications Nora did worked, she still felt better without it.

"Come on, bunny, we did it! This planet has everything we need, right? Water, food, Dust. All we need is: go back, tell everyone home, and start moving." Sun explained with a broad smile.

"But what about the inhabitants?" Velvet questioned in a more serious tone.

"What about them?" The blonde boy answered, genuinely confused.

"What we do about them?"

"Nothing, we leave them alone! We find a nice spot far from them, let them eating their mushrooms and dealing with snail-eating lizards and we just take care of our own business."

"Sun, everything in a planet is connected. Even if we decide to live in the other side, our mere presence, the presence of two million people will affect it, and will affect the snail-people. We can't just come and take a part of their planet like that." Velvet retorted, a bit of frustration on her voice.

"Sure we can. It is not like they can do anything about it with their trap holes and stones in sticks."

"Sun! Please tell me you did NOT say what I think you said!" Velvet said showing a bit of frustration.

"NO! I am just saying we just come in, make our own place, and when the snail guys finally come to our doors we will already be established! Neptune, help me here!"

"Sorry, buddy, but I am not qualified for this discussion." Neptune answered from the pilot seat.

"So what good it is for you to read so much, you nerd!?"

"Intellectual! Besides, this is just preliminary data we gathered from the drones and our own observations. And I doubt it will be any of us to make this call."

"Coco, you agree with me, right?" Velvet asked, and Coco just squirmed uncomfortable in her seat.

"Vel, I think I will side with the nerd this time. If he is not qualified to profess an opinion, why I would be?"

"Why everyone thinks I am a nerd?" Neptune shouted from his seat.

"Because you are!" Sun answered back.

"People, this call rests on only one person." Pyrrha chimed in, a bit of worry in her voice. "And we can only hope the captain do the right call."

…

Jaune listened to their reports with a mixed expression. Velvet poured her heart in her description of the snail-people. His eyes moved from her face to the data presented from time to time. He paid attention on every single world his friend and crew member was telling him, but provide no commentary until she finished talking, her chocolate eyes fixed on his face, full of a hope Jaune knew he couldn't give her.

"Thanks for your report, Sergeant. I want you to know everything you said is being taking in consideration. You are probably tired, so I recommend you to take a good bath and rest a little."

"Captain, you won't return to the colonies, will you?" She asked after hesitating for a few seconds, biting her lips in expectation.

"I need time to check all the data you got to make a decision, Vel. All I can say now is that I won't rush it." Jaune answered in his most comforting tone, but Velvet just nodded and clenched her fists.

"I… understand, Captain. I will see you later, then." She said, getting up and leaving. Jaune sighed and looked at the images they brought back.

"Penny, please call Major Nikos and commander Goodwitch here. Also, can your mobile unit come over too? I want to talk with you for a bit."

" _Understood, Captain_." The AI answered over the intercom.

One image stood on his screen. The cemetery.

It was a powerful image, he agreed. He have read about those in old books, how people used to bury their dead to honor their memory, and other rituals made for the fallen. In the Colonies dead people would have a few ceremonies, but their ultimately destiny was for the remains to be put in the recycling vats so they could the organic matter to sustain the rest of the people. Jaune wondered what his ancestors would think of such practice, but he understood that rituals had little space when the need was greater.

Now he was in a dilemma, though.

As the commanding officer, it was his call to decide when and if they should return to Remnant. And the planet they found just fit the bill perfectly if not for the indigenous inhabitants. Sure they weren't a threat. But there was so many other questions he needed answered. Soon the three girls entered his office and he indicated for them to take a seat.

"Major, you were down there. What can you tell me about the natives?" Jaune started, and Pyrrha took a few moments to find the right words.

"They seemed peaceful. Or maybe the right word would be unable to fight. They aren't fast, but are crafty. They can create traps, but their main defense is hiding on their shells." She stated, and Jaune nodded. "If we were to confront them, I doubt that would be a fair fight."

"If possible, I would never have to confront them, fair or unfair. Commander, knowing the Council, what would be their attitude if we deliver this information?"

"Considering all the planets we have visited so far, they would send a scientific team, and if they give them the green light over our survival in this planet, they would start moving as soon as possible. The natives would be… ignored, at best." She admitted, and Jaune sighed. "Sir, I know what I am going to say might sound insensitive ad selfish, but the survival of our own people take precedence over anything else."

"Actually, that sounds reasonable." Jaune said, surprising both the other girls.

"Captain, wouldn't ignoring the natives make them see us the same way we see the creatures of Grimm?" Penny questioned, and Jaune got surprised over the insightful remark.

"That I can't say. Commander, how's the crew reacting?" Glynda left an exasperated sigh out.

"A third is sure we finished our mission, others are siding with Sgt. Scarlatina over the native issue, while the last third is basically washing their hands." She said, and Pyrrha spoke again.

"There have being some… heated arguments. Thankfully just words, but I fear any decision you make will affect the moral of the crew."

"Actually, only one would. The other would mean the end of the mission and probably the dissolution of the crew." Glynda stated, and Pyrrha looked in a bit of a shock over the older officer.

"What? Why?"

"To begin with this mission was never really… appreciated by the military command or the Council. Only Director Ozpin influence and Admiral Tenryuu support kept it going till this point, but they needed to make concessions. The FTLRSS-7 was supposed to carry a two hundred people crew. But the costs were too big. The reason Penny was created was so the ship could work with just the fourteen of us. Not only that, this crew? While you all volunteered, the truth is more than a thousand soldiers did. While you passed through the cracks though, any personal deemed as important was… 'convinced' to withdraw." Glynda explained to a perplexed redhead, while Jaune just shrugged. He already expected that. "But if we succeed, this is the only ship already ready for interstellar travel, they probably would desire for a more… fitting crew for the ship."

"They would of course receive us all as heroes. But after my little stunt to get you on board, Major, I am pretty sure they won't let me in any commanding position so soon. They probably would pull us all of any mission so we would be used as promoters of the colonial effort." Jaune said, and Pyrrha lowered her head.

She wanted to be a true soldier, to escape the clutches of her fame and do something more meaningful than distracting the people of their problems. And now she was being told that it was likely she would be throwback to be a poster girl and go back at that meaningless life she hated so much. Not only that, there was a real possibility she would be taken from the friends she loved so much.

"Pyr?" She looked up to see Jaune offering her a handkerchief and she noticed she was crying.

"Sorry…" She said as she accepted it.

"You two can go now. Thanks for your input. Penny, I will need you to stay and help me with this data." Jaune said, and after a brief salute the two women left.

"Sir… What are you going to do?" Penny asked with genuine concern on her voice.

"I have no idea. Now let' crunch some boring numbers." He said as he started checking the data once again with the helpful android.

…

A day has passed in the _Nagato_ , and the crew grew nervous.

There was lots of walking around, of fidgeting and of small discussions, but no sign Jaune was going to make a decision. He spent most of his time in his office with Penny, sometimes calling Velvet to explain to him some data they couldn't understand. There was a clear tension around, and even Nora could sense it. In fact, she decided to do something about it in the most Nora way possible.

"GAAAAHHHH!" Blake yelled as she tried to fend herself off the new invention from the crazy engineer.

"Come on, Blakey! He just wants to get to know you?"

"WHAT IS THIS UNHOLY BEAST?!" She yelled as she jumped into the top of a bullhead. On the ground was a little quadruped robot that eyed her with curiosity.

"Zwei is an exploration drone based on old archives of dogs. Isn't he cute?" She said with a proud stance.

"Yes! He is!" Weiss answered as she cooed the little robot.

"Why he is even a dog?!" Blake protested as she planed how to get hid of the barking contraption.

"They are loyal, learn fast and are good at finding things." Nora explained.

"And they were easier to program." Completed Ren, the 'father' of the creature.

"I always wanted a dog!" Ruby answered as she snuggled it. "He is even soft!"

"He is made of a silicon and carbon nanotubes combination. He is resilient as a _Hunter_ armor and yet as agile as an organic creature. And since he is small it means he can access many places we can't." Ren summarized. Blake was not amused.

"WHY. A. DOG." She growled, but before they could answer it again, Penny called them over the intercom.

" _Attention crew, all members are being called by the captain in the sky deck. Please arrive in fifteen minutes_."

"Do you think it is about the mission?" Ruby asked as she got Zwei in her arms, the little contraption looked happy to be like that with his mechanical tongue out. No one questioned it yet.

"Better be, I would hate if we got stuck here longer." Weiss answered as she petted Zwei.

"Let's just go!" Blake shouted as she jumped away from the mechanical dog and into the elevator.

…

Jaune stared at the curious eyes of the crew as he floated in the sky deck, and while a bit crowded, they all fit there. The planet was visible from the windows beneath his feet, as it was the concerned looks the crew was sharing between themselves. He knew they all expected a decision and in fact he had come to one. But at that very moment he had more urgent things in mind.

"Cpt. Rose, what is this on your arms?"

"Corporal Zwei! Ship's mascot!" She proudly said as she showed the robot to Jaune.

"That is inadmissible, Cpt. Rose." Both Ruby and Zwei deflated a little. "This is a Spacy ship, so Zwei is part of the Spacy ranks, making him a Petty Officer, 3rd class."

"Finally someone we can outrank." Sun commented with a smirk and fist bumping Neptune, while Yang eyes where shining as she believed Jaune just did a pun.

"Be careful, Sunny, if Zwei do a good job he might outrank you two." Coco said with a smirk, and there was a bit of laughing, relieving a bit of the heavy mood. Jaune breathed and resumed talking.

"Usually commanding officers don't justify their decisions to their crew. But you are not only my crew, but my friends, even my family now I dare say. Therefore I decided you deserved an explanation. If you remember my little speech in the day we were departing, I said that my grandfather told me to base my decisions thinking not of me, but of my children that are to come. It means, kind of obviously, that you always should base a decision thinking of future consequences. There is another sentence that I based my decision, 'those who don't learn from history's mistakes are fated to repeat it'. The planet below us is a prime candidate for colonization, and if we go back to Remnant right now, we would have accomplished our primary objective." There was a palpable silence in the lounge as he paused to stare at their faces. "And while we probably would not have any problems today, we can't predict what would happen in a thousand years. There is an intelligent native species down there, one able to mourn their dead, do rituals, and make tools. Sure they are not a threat right now, but a thousand years ago, before the Grimm, our people ride in horses and the ships crossing the oceans were powered by wind in their sails. Now we are travelling between star sisters hundreds of light years from home. My question is: what happens if we colonize this planet and in a thousand years the natives decide they don't like us? Will they be technologically advanced enough to wage war against us? Will we be wise enough to try to find a peaceful resolution or will we just destroy them all to keep a planet we took for ourselves?"

He paused and watched their faces again. They all wanted to say something, and he could see many of them weren't happy with the direction he was going. He breathed and resumed talking.

"We will change this planet just by being there, and even if our moral compass made us try to interfere the minimum with the natives, we will interfere. That said I am not going to hide its existence from the Council and the military command. This planet IS an option for us, one that I would call a last resort. It does have all we need, and unfortunately, the survival of our own people take precedence. I know it is not the… politically correct thing to say. But if we want to survive, sometimes we will have to decide between death and a guilty conscience. I am not ending this mission since I hope we can find a planet where no such dilemmas will be presented. But if we don't, we will have accomplished our mission today."

Another long moment of silence as the crew digested the information.

"So, when will you say that we won't find a better planet than this one?" Weiss asked first. Jaune accepted that was a valid question, one he was prepared to answer.

"While the mission doesn't have a real timeline, I don't want any of us to spend the rest of our lives in a fool's quest. Five years. Can I ask of you all five years?" He looked around to see their expressions. "None of you need to answer right now. I know this is not an easy decision."

"I will follow wherever you go." Pyrrha said promptly. Jaune looked at her soft smile in surprise, but accepted it anyway with a smile of his own.

"Count me in too. This trip has being the most thrilling thing I ever made." Yang said with a smirk.

"Well, does anyone want to say anything BUT that you would follow the skipper?" Ruby said with a bright smile. There was a bit of sighing but in the end no one said anything.

"I will hold you on your end line, Captain Arc." Weiss said as she prepared to leave the sky deck. "But… past mistakes tend to become future headaches. I know this very well. I believe you are doing the right decision."

As she left, Velvet just broke protocol and hugged him, hiding her teary eyes on his shoulder, feeling guilty for even doubting her captain would make a bad call. She only left his arms when Coco started catcalling them and the feeling of envious looks on her back.

"OK, no more gloomy mood. Everyone, back to your stations. We depart in half an hour. And Ruby? Petty Officer Zwei is under your care." Ruby smiled and saluted before leaving. Soon everyone left but Penny, which turned towards her captain with a confused expression.

"How?" She asked simply.

"How what?" He stared at her unusual nervous behavior.

"How do you know you decided the right thing?"

"I don't know if what I am deciding is right, Penny. There are plenty of times that you will decide without knowing."

"Then…"

"Sometimes, Penny, you don't decide with your mind, but with your heart."

"Do I have a heart?" she asked and he floated towards her and petted her hair.

"I believe you do." Penny looked at him then hugged him, a gentle one.

"Thanks, Captain. I will also follow you." She answered with a bright smile. Jaune stared once again at the planet, before leaving the sky deck with the android.


	21. No Good Deed

"Thank you very much, Arc Captain."

Jaune nodded as the small alien they rescued bowed. As soon as they warped in the Capybara system they discovered a wrecked ship and a hundred or so active escape pod, and the blonde boy ordered the rescue of them. The aliens were stout with long arms and short legs, but just reached his chest and they had long faces that remembered them of stone slabs, with small eyes and mouths, the nostrils on the very top of their heads, covered with an environmental 'mask' that looked more like a silly hat.

"I told you the tractor beam would work!" Nora cheered from her work station.

"I am still surprised you could make one." Jaune answered in genuine appraisal. Ren gave a rare smirk towards him.

"Nora has eidetic memory. She remembers everything she sees in details. So all she needed was one look in that tractor beam device to decipher how it worked."

"Well done, both of you. I might even promote you two." Jaune said and smiled as Nora give happy jumps.

"Arc Captain, how long before you can rescue all of us?" The same alien asked him, and Jaune turned to Penny.

"All active capsules where rescued, and all survivors are inside the _Nagato_." Jaune turned back to the alien to see he held an expression of disbelief.

"That can't be right… Our ship carried ten thousand people… There are a hundred or so here!" He strode towards the terminal Penny was operating and looked at it. "Those readings…"

"…Are accurate, adjusted to your species life signs pattern and redone ten times. I am sorry for your terrible loss, but we rescued every survival we found in a radio of ten space miles." Penny said apologetically, and the alien made a sound that could be defined as crying.

"Velvet, Doc, examine all of them. We are getting them to the planet." He said to the two women as they helped the aliens. He left a small sad grunt out of his mouth before going to the bridge.

As he arrived he looked at the main screens to see the wreckage of what once was a big ship, several debris floating around, alongside many of its passengers, floating helpless and lifeless around it. He was glad the survivals couldn't see it. If there were ten thousand people, it meant that they all likely lost someone dear to them. He was glad Nora's tractor beam worked fine, the secret project she and Ren worked for weeks. It allowed them to rescue the survivals fast, and now they had the docking bay filled with them.

"Commander, what happened here?" Jaune asked Glynda as he took his seat.

"Sgt. Adel?" The blonde woman turned to the gunner for a more detailed report.

"They were definitely attacked. There are clear signs of energy shots on the wreckage, but no signs of what or who attacked them." Coco explained as she showed details of the debris, many with scorching marks. "Not only that, some of the escape pods where hit too."

"Someone really wanted these people dead. What they reported?" Jaune inquired the crew.

"They are colonizing the third planet of the system, and apparently there was a dispute over the possession of it. The Nonusians, the species we rescued, claims they arrived first while a species they call the Browerians state they discovered the planet first. There was a brief war but something they call the Star Arbitration decided in favor of the Nonusians. They say the Browerians didn't take the decision well." Glynda finished her report, and Jaune groaned in annoyance.

"It was those Browerians that attacked?"

"We can't say for sure." Coco answered as she checked the attack pattern. "At least, not knowing what kind of weapons those Browerians have."

"Very well, we will deliver the survivors to the planet and get more information there. We are in red alert." Jaune finished and Neptune started the engines.

…

"Capybara-3, only planet able to support life. 1.3x standard gravity, half of the oxygen levels we are used to, five degrees colder." Velvet explained as the ship entered in orbit. "Prime planet for the Nonusians. Not so good for us. Population fifteen thousand according to them. They are hailing us."

"Pass them through." Jaune ordered and a Nonusian so alike the others appeared.

" _I am Afal Alaz, Administrator Colonial._ "

"Captain Jaune Arc of the _Nagato_. We rescued your people; a hundred and three total and now we ask what the procedures to follow are."

" _You have our eternal gratitude, Arc Captain of Nagato ship. Unfortunately we don't have a space port to dock you in orbit or any ship with the ability to leave the planet at the moment. I suggest you to land near our city, if possible_."

"We will send transports then. It will take a while to deliver everyone, but we will do what we can. Send us the landing coordinates." Jaune answered, not willing to land the _Nagato_ in an unknown planet with a still unknown alien race, not after their past experiences. There was a moment of hesitation from Afal but he answered back.

" _Very well, I am sending the coordinates. We will be ready to receive the survivals_."

"Understood. We will start sending the transports as soon as possible." With that Jaune finished the call. "Neptune, get Yang and prepare two bullheads. Tell Doc that we are sending any sick or hurt people first. How long it would take to finish this operation?"

"With two bullheads equipped with transport modules, 103 people… twelve people at a time…ten hours considering the trip time." Neptune informed.

"Start right now. Coco, Sun, keep an eye on the sensors all time. Whatever attacked their ship might attack again." He finished before going to his quarters.

…

" _Thanks for attending me, Arc Captain._ " On the screen was Afal, and Jaune just nodded. The delivery operation was past half part, and everything was proceeding as smoothly as possible for them. Jaune sat in the chair in his office and wondered why the Colonial Administrator wanted to talk with him privately.

"There is no problem, Administrator. What can I help you with?"

" _Ah, yes, that is actually what we need. Help. Nonus, our home world, is dying. We are actually fleeing our home planet, Arc Captain, not just colonizing this one._ " Jaune had to contain himself to not say they were doing exactly the same. " _And the ship that was destroyed… it was the only warp able ship we had…_ "

There was no way he couldn't empathize more with the Nonusian than right now. They were in the exactly same position, two dying worlds and only one ship to give them a little bit of hope. Jaune understood the problem right away as no faster-than-light ship available meant the end of the colonization efforts.

"I understand your problem, Administrator. How can we help?" Jaune offered genuinely, and for a second he saw something akin to a smile in the Nonusian's face.

" _We were hoping you had warp cores to spare_."

The captain of the _Nagato_ stared back at the alien for a second. Warp cores were made with the rarest from of Dust, rainbow Dust. While that form of the crystals had no practical use at first, being just shiny multicolored jewels, it was Ozpin that discovered they could be energized to create the warp distortion and enter the subspace. The problem was that being so rare, the Remnant colonies had only ten of those crystals, and four were there in the _Nagato_ as backups in case something happen to the warp engines. It created a dilemma for the young captain.

"Don't you have any? Or at least the possibility to find some?"

" _We don't have any spare, and there is just no way we can predict when or if we could find some. So please, Arc Captain, if you have any to spare…_ "

"Sorry, Administrator, but we don't have any spares." Jaune half lied. It was true they had extra cores, but the captain just couldn't risk their own ship to help the Nonusians, no matter how much he wanted too.

" _Then… maybe you can go back to your planet home and ask for a ship… or at least spare cores!_ " Afal begged, and Jaune could feel the pain setting in his heart for the Nonusiuans. But if they returned to Remnant, he knew they would never spare the few crystals they had and worse, they would probably take his ship from him.

"I am sorry, Administrator Afal. The _Nagato_ have a mission of our own and we can't go back to our planet before finishing it. What I can do for you is to go to Nonus and inform them of what happened here. I am deeply sorry we can't do more than that." It was true, he was deeply sorry, and while we could do more, he knew that would mean sacrificing his own people for the Nonusians.

" _I beg of you, Arc Captain… There are ten million of my people, my own family, back at Nonus… Help us…_ " Jaune had to use all his willpower to not cry and keep the same serious expression, because he also had his own family to think about.

"I am sorry. If I could I would certainly help… But there is nothing in my power I can do…."

" _I… I understand… Thanks for all you already done… I will talk with my people…_ " Afal ended the communication, and Jaune finally let the emotions freely run in his body. Tears came from his eyes as he understood a problem so likely to his own.

" _Do you need a hug?"_ Jaune opened an eye as Penny suggested that. " _According to Cpt. Rose, when people are sad a hug can help them._ "

"Actually, it is true, and yes, I would use a hug." Jaune answered, a bit in surprise and a bit wanting that hug.

" _My mobile unit is on her way_." Penny answered, worry in her voice. Jaune left out a small smile. Apparently having an AI with a heart was actually a good thing.

…

"OK, everyone is ready for the last flight?" Yang asked as the last Nonusians boarded her bullhead. They nodded and she checked the seat belts. "Sorry it is not the most comfy ride, the seats is planned for humans, not Nonusians."

"It is alright, Yang pilot. We are thankful your people rescued us." One of the aliens answered and she smiled before leaving and closing the door.

"Everything is ready and checked!" Nora confirmed as she finished her check list on the bullhead.

"It is the last trip, so just come back as soon as you finish." Glynda said and Yang nodded before stretching.

"I will do just that. I need a good bath, sleep and probably a pair of hands massaging me for a day." She smirked as she put her helmet on. "Tell the captain he is being requested for massage duty as soon as I am back."

"Lieutenant, just get in the bullhead." Glynda said with a loud sigh. Yang entered the cabin and proceeded to leave the _Nagato_ dock.

Once again it was a boring and easy travel. She passed by Neptune's bullhead returning from his last travel and she proceeded to enter the atmosphere of the below planet. Soon she was flying in direction of the city they were building. At the moment it was just a bunch of metallic boxes spread close to the sea. She found the landing area quite easily after doing so many trips already. She landed softly on the ground and opened the cabin and the back door, and got to the back of the bullhead to help the last survivors out of the ship.

There was a brief moment of celebration as they reencountered their families, and she smiled, as it was rare she could see those moments since the mission started. When they got inside one of the buildings nearby, Yang proceeded to the some checking in the bullhead before going back to the _Nagato_.

She almost didn't notice some of the Nonusians approaching in heavy armor as she checked her vehicle, and wondered what they wanted. She turned around to stare at them, and they looked dejected. She wished she didn't need the helmet so she could give them a winning smile.

"Hey guys. Anything wrong?" She asked, and prepared her weapons. Yang didn't had time to use as she felt her body vibrating and losing its strength before falling down unconscious.

"We are sorry. We are very sorry, Yang pilot." One of the Nonusians said as he put a small remote shaped device on his belt and helped to carry her away from the bullhead.

…

"What happened?" Jaune said as he rushed into the bridge almost tripping at the door.

"It is Lt. Xiao Long, sir. Her armor sent an automated distress signal, and we aren't able to contact her. She is still alive and in the Nonusian settlement according to the beacon on her _Hunter_." Glynda explained as Jaune sat on the captain's chair.

"Keep trying to reach her, contact the Nonusians. Tell Nora I want a bullhead AND my fighter ready to deploy and I want Major Nikos and a fireteam ready. Cpt. Rose is not going." Jaune barked his orders as he checked his panel.

"Sir, the Nonusians are contacting us." Velvet warned and he signalized to pass them through, and as soon as the image formed his expression changed from one of worry to one of anger.

Afal appeared in the screen, his eyes cast down, with Yang unconscious behind him, guarded buy two soldiers.

"Administrator, what happened?" Jaune asked, trying to keep his anger in check.

" _We are deeply sorry, Arc captain. But the survival of ten million people forced us to do this rather despicable act. She is alive and unharmed, and we will give her back to you once we guarantee the survival of our people_." Afal said, and his tone was clear one of guilty and regret, but Jaune was not moved by his words.

"I want my Marine back, Afal."

" _Please, listen. All we want is to rescue the people back at Nonus. Lend us your ship! Once we rescue everyone we will give them back to you_!" The alien begged, but the captain kept the same impassive expression.

"The _Nagato_ can barely transport two hundred people. It would take a hundred years for you to transport all of your people. That is more than our lifespan."

" _We will adapt it! Make it so we can carry as many as possible! We promise to keep you safe! Please understand…_ "

"Administrator, you are keeping a member of my crew hostage. This is an act of aggression we won't tolerate. You have six hours to release her unharmed. If you fail to comply, we will start firing from orbit against your people until she is safely back with us. Nobody hurts my crew… my friends. This is your one and only warning." Jaune cut the link and clenched his fists before slamming then on his chair. Velvet rushed to his side and put a gentle hand on his back. "Tell Major Nikos to keep a fireteam ready. I am taking Lt. Belladonna with me in my fighter to rescue Lt. Xiao Long. If we fail, I want you to fire at them as I said, Commander, and use the distraction to send the fireteam."

"Captain…" Velvet asked worriedly to him. He looked at her eyes, and the strong determination on his face made her lower her head.

"We will be back soon." He finished, gently touching Velvet's shoulder and leaving, the bunny girl looking at his back.

…

Jaune was putting on his _Hunter_ and checking it, while Nora finished fixing the transportation module on the top of _Ladybug_ so he could fly with Blake and if they couldn't retrieve the bullhead, fly back with Yang. He checked his weapon and the bullets and groaned in anger as he never expected the people he rescued would do that. He understood their situation, probably better than the Nonusians could expect, yet they kidnapped his friend and were now threatening the mission.

"Jaune, are you sure you are alright?" He turned as Pyrrha approached, putting both hands on his face to look at his eyes.

"No, I am not. I am pissed. I am disappointed. I am worried about Yang. I am… sad." He confessed, and she pushed him into a hug, her cheek against his.

"I can do this, you know?" she whispered into his ear.

"I know… But I don't want to go down there and shoot our way to Yang. If possible, I want to have no casualties. I know why they are doing it. They are afraid, desperate. And fear is a bad adviser." He said, gently going out of the hug. "I don't want to hurt anyone, but I will save our friend."

"I know. Be careful, because I want you back here too. And Blake and Yang…" Suddenly Pyrrha pecked his lips and smiled, moving away. "Good luck."

Jaune stared at Pyrrha's back as she walked to be with Weiss and an overly worried Ruby.

"Let's go, Captain." Blake called as she put her helmet, hiding a smirk as she saw the scene that happened moments before.

"You know, we really should get you a bell." Jaune answered and Blake punched his shoulder.

…

The fighter landed silently a few kilometers away of the settlement. Jaune thanked whoever invented stealth mode for it, as that allowed them to arrive undetected. He left the cockpit and freed Blake from the emergency transport compartment. She jumped at the ground and stretched in a very cat-like way before drawing her weapon.

"We keep radio silence for now and silencers on. Our priority is rescuing Yang, no need to confront the Nonusians, but do not hesitate to shoot if they pose a threat." Jaune explained as he checked his gun. "You lead the way."

Blake nodded and activated her active camouflage, while Jaune wore a stealth cloak over his own to follow her. Luck for both it was nighttime, and the Nonusians were mostly unaware of their presence. They tracked Yang's _Hunter_ distress signal, as the aliens kept the armor online due to the need for it to supply the extra oxygen the planet's atmosphere lacked.

They found the building they were keeping the Marine hostage, with four guards at the door, and Jaune took a vantage position in the top of a building. He kept the guards under the aim of his gun, but let Blake do her job. She skillfully jumped on them, demonstrating her agility and skill in those kinds of operations. The catgirl kicked the first too and dropped them unconscious, then jumped on the third one shoulders and while pressing her arm on the nostrils on the top of the head she fired a TASER on the fourth one. Soon the last two dropped unconscious, and she moved them out of view.

Blake used her hacking terminal on the door and breached the security, walking around the tight and poorly lit corridors. Every time someone came she had to jump on the ceiling, glad for magnetic boots and optical camouflage. She slowly approached the distress signal and found a room that was probably a communication center. There were only two guards and the colonial administrator. On the screen were Commander Goodwitch, and the administrator kept begging them for a peaceful resolution.

 _You should have thought of that BEFORE kidnapping Yang and threatening us._

Blake resisted the urge to just shout the three of them and slowly approached the unconscious Yang. The catgirl had to turn the optical camouflage off; glad the three people in the room were busy with Glynda. The commander noticed Blake and changed her tone in order to keep attention on her. Blake accessed Yang's _Hunter_ and activated the recover protocols.

Unfortunately for them the blonde Marine wasn't exactly the most calm when suddenly awaked.

"I AM UP! SAVE ME BRAKFAST!"

Blake cringed while Glynda groaned and cut the link. Yang stared confused at the three aliens that just stood there in shock. Blake threw a smoke grenade and put Yang's arm around her and rushed with her friend out. The three aliens coughed and stumbled around before one of them sounded the alarm.

"Ugh my head…" Yang complained as the sirens sounded around the settlement.

"We will get you aspirin when we are back on the Nagato." Blake stated as they were finally out of the building.

"Bella? What happened?"

"Let's just say the Nonusians don't want us to go."

"The troubles of being sexy." Yang joked, making Blake roll her eyes inside her helmet. "I think I can walk." Blake let Yang off and the blonde girl stumbled a bit before standing up. "I feel like I drank all the alcohol."

"We need to go. Let's see if we can retrieve the bullhead…" Blake started when an explosion shook them up.

" _Blake! They exploded the bullhead! Let's go back to the fighter!_ " Jaune urged from the radio and the two girls stared at each other before Blake tapped Yang's shoulder and the two girls started running while soldiers rushed the streets. A pissed off blonde Marine sent them flying with her punches while Blake used her acrobat combat to dodge and counter them. Things started to escalate as some of them started shooting.

…

Jaune moved as quickly as possible while rushing on the ceilings of the settlement. The Nonusians were determinate to not let them go, and the captain understood they were desperate. So desperate that they had no idea what they were doing.

He jumped from building to building and soon found himself at the edge of the settlement, having lost sight of Yang and Blake but wanting to believe they were fine. After all, they still were better fighters than him. The distant sound of guns fired worried him though, and he decided to go to meet them. But as soon as he turned around he was attacked.

Jaune looked up and saw a Nonusian wearing some type of mobile armor. It didn't look like a combat one, but maybe a construction device improvised as a weapon. The device had big, large legs and long arms ending in three strong 'fingers'. The Nonusian tried to smash Jaune with both arms, but he was able to block it with his hardlight shield. The impact was too strong though and bended the boy on his knees. He fired his gun against the enemy's legs, but the thick armor deflected them.

The Nonusian tossed Jaune aside with another jab, and once again the blonde thanked his _Hunter_ for protecting him. He put his gun back on its holster in his back and prepared his hardlight sword. The alien approached slowly, and the captain used this to rush against it, swinging the sword several times, causing many scratches on the thick surface of his enemy heavy armor. The Nonusian raised his right arm, a movement Jaune saw before. This time he raised his shield properly and blocking the attack, and he swung his sword, pumping Aura on it to decapitate his enemy.

He saw the enemy fall towards him and Jaune jumped back, catching his breath. But he had no time to do that as another armored enemy came from his back and as he turned around it pushed his feet at him, throwing Jaune on his back and pressing against his armor. Jaune failed his sword trying to cut the leg off to no avail as the armor was thicker there. That was when he heard an explosion above his head and the enemy was launched away.

"Need a hand, oh captain my captain." Yang said as she offered hers to him.

"You know, I was supposed to save you." Jaune answered as he took it and got up.

"You did. And I saved you. We are even." Yang said as she patted his shoulder. "Come on, let's go back home."

…

The fighter landed at the docking bay, and Jaune got out of the cockpit. He saw Nora helping Blake off the emergency transport and he opened the one where Yang was. She looked at him and extended her arms, confusing him for a second before he realized what she wanted and he carried her off it, bridal style.

"YANG!" Ruby zipped closer and jumped on them, the two girls on top of Jaune. "I was so worried!"

"Sis! I missed you too, but I think we killed the skipper!" Yang said as the two girls got off him.

"I am so, so glad for this armor." Jaune groaned as he stood up and removed his helmet.

"What is this blue stuff?" Ruby asked as they noticed Jaune had splatters of blue on his usually white Hunter.

"Nonusian blood…" Jaune said finally realizing he killed something that wasn't Grimm. Sure he fired _Nagato's_ guns before, but this time…

" _Captain, the Colonial Administrator is trying to contact us_."

"I will get the call from here, Penny." Jaune groaned as he walked to a terminal closer to Nora's workstation and took the call.

" _Arc Captain, please, we need help!"_ Afal said, tears on his eyes. Jaune was unmoved by them.

"We helped you once, Administrator, and you kidnapped my friend and blew up my bullhead to keep us. You tried to steal my ship."

" _Please, we need it to save my people…_ "

"If this is how you ask for help, Afal, I am sorry to say no one will ever help you again." Jaune closed the link and took a few moments to cool down. "Ruby, take Yang to the med bay so she can be examined. We are leaving this system ASAP."

"Hey, Jauney…" Yang started, but the captain just raised his hand slightly.

"Later. I am going to the bridge."

…

Jaune let his body drop on the captain's chair and closed his eyes. He wondered if any of the captains he knew from story books had to take hard decisions as often as he had. The crew stared back at him concerned, and even Penny gently held his hand between hers. It was surprising how delicate the android's hands were. He opened his eyes and failed to smile at her, but he had other things to worry right now.

"Helmsman, trace a curse to the nearest warp point. We are going to the Nonus system." Jaune said and everyone stared at him in shock.

"Sir?" Neptune asked as he shifted his eyes between the captain and the rest of the crew.

"It will be a simple pass through. Velvet, prepare a message to inform them of the loss of their warp ship. Warn then of hostile activity here. At least they will be able to plan what they will do from now on."

"That is… quiet the altruistic act from you, skipper. Considering everything that happened." Coco commented, and Jaune closed his eyes again.

"They were desperate. They are in such similar situation to us that is hard to not understand why they did what they did. I am not forgiving them, but the people back on their planet shouldn't suffer because of what the Nonusians here did." Jaune explained dryly.

"OK, setting course. Maybe you should go sleep, captain. You look awful." Neptune commented as the _Nagato_ started moving. "Skipper?"

Jaune was sleeping on his chair. Glynda sighed but had a soft smile on her face, and signaled for Penny to help her, and the two girls took their captain to his quarters.

…

"I am just telling you, chancellor, the price to attack the Nonurian colony is quiet high as it tends to leave more evidence than simple deploying automated drones in the way of their ship." Roman talked to the Browerian chancellor aboard his ship. Neo sat close by, ignoring the conversation to play with a pair of paper dolls.

" _The agreement wasn't that, pirate!_ " The chipmunk-like alien squeaked back.

"Ah, but I won't risk angering the Star Arbiters because you want to get that planet for you. Not for so little, anyway."

" _We will find someone else to do your dirty job, pirate!_ " With that the link was cut, and Roman laughed a little.

"Send an anonymous tip to the Arbiters about the Browerians trying to kill the Nonusians. That will teach them to not ditch us." Roman ordered as he sat in his chair.

"Captain, what about that ship?" The pirate operating the communication panel asked as a picture of the Nagato rescuing the Nonusians appeared on screen.

"That ship again. They are becoming a pain in my ass. Luckily they didn't saw our camouflaged ship… In fact, I am tired of them. Tell the fleet to track them down. It is time to get rid of them." Roman said as he walked towards the communication panel and lit a cigar, them pressing the lit match on the other pirate's arm, making him scream. "And it is Admiral."


	22. Seed of Death

"Where am I?" Jaune asked as He looked around. It wasn't his room at the _Nagato_ , but a nice flowered garden with a few streams running around, and he heard the singing of birds from the green trees around it. Sat by his sides were Miltiades and Melanie, but now Miltiades was wearing a red dress while Melanie a white one.

"We met again. It is nice to see you, Jaune." Miltiades started with a caring smile.

"You still owe us a meal." Melanie completed with fake annoyance.

"Who are you two?" He asked as he sat up, confused.

"He forgot about us already, Miltia."

"I don't think that is the case, Mel. We are friends, Jaune. You proved once again to be deserving of our friendship." Miltiades explained, and Jaune just stared at her confused.

"You showed compassion to those who wronged you. Got out of your way to help those who you had all reasons not to. Therefore, we will give you a warning. Your next destination will be targeted by the biggest threat to all that lives in this galaxy." Melanie said ominously, and Jaune gulped.

"What should I do?"

"That we can't answer as you are still being tested. But… If you pass this test, next time we meet, we will tell you everything. Keep being true to yourself, Jaune."

…

Jaune woke up on his bed, and wondered what that dream was about. It was so realistic that he wasn't even sure it was a dream. Weeks have passed since the Nonus incident, and the crew was back on its feet, or at least as best as they could be. He looked at the clock and noticed his shift was about to start soon, so he took a quick bath and put his uniform. He grew used to it as he looked at the mirror, seeing the grey Spacy uniform, with its insignias on his left and the shoulder covered in his personal colors, a way to quick identify someone if needed to be.

He looked at the beard trying to grow on his face and decided to shave. He never liked the beard; it was awful to wear the Hunter's helmet with one. He wondered how the long haired girls on the ship did it, or even Ren as the boy was now sporting a ponytail. He, Sun and Neptune kept theirs short, as did Coco and Ruby. They were luck that Dr. Verd wasn't just a great doctor but also a great hair stylist.

He finished getting ready and entered the bridge, where the usual suspects were taking position. He sat on his chair and Penny gave him a cup of coffee with her usual smile. He smiled back and tasted it. It was awful as always, but the hot beverage helped him to fully wake up.

"Helmsman, how long before we warp out?" Jaune asked as Neptune checked his panel.

"A few more minutes, skipper. Crossing fingers for it to be…"

"Shut up! Let's not say anything! It might jinx us!" Sun shouted from his seat beside Neptune.

"There are not such things as jinx! This is just superstition!"

"I don't care about superheroes! I care about you bringing us bad luck!" Sun answered, leaving Neptune aback for a second. He was about to say something when his panel beeped.

"We arrived, skipper."

With that the _Nagato_ reentered normal space. The monitor displayed a blue star at the distance. The ship start moving towards its living zone while Jaune checked his panels and screens, the memory of that dream he had with the twins still bothering him.

"Penny, get on yellow alert, just in case. Coco, anything suspicious on the sensors?"

"No, skipper. Just empty space."

"Velvet?" He turned to the bunny girl.

"No radio signals, long range scanner showing two planets, one in the life zone." She explained, but gave Jaune a worried stare. "Skipper, are you feeling well? You look more tense than usual."

"So I am always tense, Sergeant?" He asked, making Velvet blush, but she relaxed when he chuckled.

"Just being careful. I wonder how the rest of the crew is doing." He said casually.

…

"Keep him from my things!" Blake complained to Ruby as the girl hugged their robotic pet.

"Zwei just wanted to play!" She defended the small robot that barked happily.

"With my underwear?"

"He must like the smell?" Ruby defended herself, making Blake blush a little.

"Captain, are you saying my underwear smells?"

"Not like that! Maybe it is how you wash them? Or the soap you use?" Ruby defended herself while Yang laughed heartily at that. Weiss just scoffed and resumed reading whatever she found. Pyrrha just smiled as she watched her friends discussing about silly stuff.

…

"I am pretty sure they have worries of their own." Ren commented from his seat as he checked his panel.

"How Nora pass her time?" Jaune asked to the boy, and he froze for a moment.

…

" _Nora, no._ "

"Nora yes! Come on, Penny! It is just an amazing matter/anti-matter gun!"

" _Sgt. Valkyrie, the captain expressly told me to not let you endanger the ship. Commander Goodwitch also told me to hold back your pancake share if you so much as dream about doing so_."

"You wouldn't dare!"

" _Oh, Doc said to me how to proper react to that sentence… TRY ME!_ " The AI said chirpily.

…

"I am sure she is just doing some maintenance." Ren answered in his usual tone after a moment.

"Eh. Hmm, blue star. Pretty."

"It is brighter but cooler than normal stars. But it does have a life zone." Velvet explained and Jaune nodded as they approached the planets. "The farthest planet can be seeing on the main screen. It is the most likely to hold life."

"Let's see it them." Jaune asked and the blue-greenish planet covered in grey colds appeared.

"Initial analysis shows a colder planet than ours, the grey clouds are storms. Hopefully of water and not of deadly stuff like acid or glass." Velvet said, and everyone stared at her for a thing. "Yes, there can be raining glass. It happens when…"

"I think we will keep the details of that pleasant image for another occasion, Velvet." Jaune commented and she nodded, not understanding why her captain interrupted her.

…

"Little variation to standard gravity and atmosphere. It is colder than our home planet, with a third of the planet under ice. But the equatorial zone is fit for our survival. There are dense forests, rivers, oceans. The only big different is the big and constant rain clouds. They are not storms, just thick rain… all the time and in most of the planet." Velvet reported as the _Nagato_ orbited the planet in question.

"Signs of natives?" Jaune questioned.

"No, no radio signs, no visible activity… The rain clouds block direct observation of most of the surface though." Velvet informed. Jaune sighed and pushed a button on his chair.

"Rubes, get your team ready. We will need direct observation of the planet. Better take some raincoats with you; the weather prediction is lotsa rain." Jaune said over the intercom.

" _It is just water from the sky. How bad it can be?"_ Ruby answered back.

…

"HOW BAD IT CAN BE? HOW ABOUT THIS BAD!"

Weiss yelled as she struggle to move over the mud. Rain in this case meant a downpour of epic proportions, and they were glad the _Hunter_ armors were waterproof. But moving around was challenging at best as the slippery ground of the forest made moving more challenging than simply walking had any right to be. Only one person and a small dog drone seemed happy.

"This is the first time I ever experienced rain. I like it." Pyrrha commented, Zwei happily snuggle on her back, barking in agreement.

"I forgot they didn't allow you to go on missions often. Rain is not bad in itself, but it affects mobility and visibility, so better to be extra careful." Ruby answered and looked up a tree where Blake was nested, both to scout and to keep a distance from Zwei. "Anything?"

"Trees, rain and more trees and more rain!" Blake shouted back, as uncomfortable with the rain as Weiss. "I hope it keeps like that!"

"You know, I like rain, it is soothing. I hope we get a planet where I can bath on it someday." Yang commented in a rare sweet, longing tone.

"We will. Maybe even this one." Ruby said with an optimistic tone, and Zwei barked in agreement.

"Yeah, yeah. Beggars can't be choosers. And this summer… Is this summer?" Weiss wondered as she looked around the wet planet.

"No, the planet has no seasons since it don't have an angle towards the star. So, pretty much this is the weather all year." Blake said as she jumped down from her tree, splashing mud on everyone. Weiss cleared her helmet and scoffed at her friend.

"I saw a valley down there. Maybe we can find a cave or something." Blake informed. "We might be able to use the Puma there."

"Oh, off-road fun!" Yang celebrated as they started walking back to the bullhead.

"Do we even have driven that thing in any road?" Weiss questioned.

"Details!" Yang answered with a shout.

…

The moving mud object stopped at the end of the valley and the Marines got out as the constant heavy rain cleaned their armors. Zwei ran around their feet, apparently the second happiest thing there. Yang was probably the happiest.

"This. Was. AWESOME! Let's do it again!"

"NO!" Blake and Weiss yelled at the same time.

"Zwei?" Ruby asked as she noticed the little robot dog wasn't nearby. "Zwei!"

"Why are you yelling you dolt! He is a drone! We can track him with our _Hunters_!" Weiss angrily shouted and Ruby left out a chuckle before activating the tracker.

They walked towards one of the many cracks on the valley in search of their robotic companion. The passage was large and rocky, so there was no mud at least. They found the dog barking against something and walked towards him.

"Zwei, why are you here?" Ruby asked as she got the dog on her arms. Then she noticed the people pointing lances at her.

They were reptilian in nature, covered in brown and black scales, but also had feathers in the top of their heads like it was their hair. They had big yellow eyes with slit pupils, and carried lances with steel tips, and wore armor on their thin but muscular bodies. They looked at the Marines with fear in their eyes, yet still pointed sharp pointy things at them.

"Errr… hello?" Ruby said nervously. The four natives looked at each other in surprise before looking back at the red themed Marine.

"You speak our language…" One of them commented, and the girl was happy the translators were working. "Who… what are you?"

"Oh, err… Pyrrha! How we explain to them who and what we are?" Ruby asked the Major, and the girl stared back in confusion. They were yet to develop a proper protocol for getting with primitive cultures.

"Well… How to explain… We are travelers from distant lands. We have no intention to harm you or your people. We are just explorers." Pyrrha said in the gentlest way possible. The leader of that group poked her with his spear a few times.

"You say you came in peace. But you are wearing armor and carrying weird looking guns." She questioned and Pyrrha looked at her friends.

"We are just protecting ourselves. Look, I will remove my helmet to show we are friendly, OK. But you might find our appearance weird." Ruby said as she gave Zwei to Weiss and removed her helmet. The creatures looked at her for a long moment, blinking and analyzing the girl.

"Weird is an apt description… Are you from the other side of the sea?" The Marines exchanged looks between them.

"Yes? We are from faraway lands." Ruby answered as truthfully as she could. The natives exchanged looks again.

"Pamolo, go to the city and inform them of this." The first native ordered and the one called Pamolo rushed back into the crack. "I am Calinora, member of the guard of Garlield. I promise to not harm you."

"I am Captain Ruby Rose of the star… of the ship _Nagato_. We promise the same to you, Calinora."

…

"And they are inviting you to their city?" Jaune questioned as Blake was doing the report.

" _Yes. They apparently are primitive, no more than steel lances and armor. They seem afraid of us but curious, and for now they promised to not harm us_."

"I don't know about that. If the planet has a sentient race, it is already a second option on our search, and while making new friends is good…" Jaune hesitated between doing some diplomacy and simple moving one with the mission.

"Skipper, making friends with them would not be a bad thing in the long term. Maybe one day they will also sail between the stars and when we met they will remember us." Velvet suggested. "Besides, it would be a good change of pace for us."

"I agree with Sgt. Scarlatina. It would help the morals of our crew if we find a friendly alien race." Glynda stated to Jaune's surprise. It was rare for the usually strict Commander suggest something like that. Probably they were really showing signs of stress.

"Very well. Tell Rubes to be kind, to behave and to flee as fast as possible if anything seems fishy." Jaune told Blake.

" _Understood_."

…

The city of Garlield was completely made inside the rocky walls of the valley. And it was a big, bustling city, with large streets where many people walked around. They used Dust crystals in a primitive form to light the corridors and levels of the city, and the houses were painted in bright colors, showing wooden doors and windows.

The natives wore mostly colorful clothes that covered very little of their scaly bodies. No one wore shoes, but lots of them wore complex headdresses that were tall and usually made with shiny metals. They all stared at the Marines walking with the guards, all of them without the helmets. There was no hostile reaction, just curiosity and a bit of fear.

Soon they arrived at the biggest construction on the city, some type of palace or temple illuminated by huge Dust crystals. Calinora moved ahead of them, signalizing to be followed close. They soon found themselves in an ample indoor garden with a majestic fountain in the middle filled with colorful fish. Several guards in complex armors surrounded the place. Not long after arriving a native in colorful long clothes and a crown made with Dust crystals arrived, surrounded by an entourage.

"Welcome to Galield, visitants from afar. I am queen Miklab and it is an honor to meet you." She said with a curtsy.

"Captain Ruby Rose of the _Nagato_. Those are my friends Pyrrha Nikos, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long." Zwei whimpered a bit. "Oh, and this is Zwei. He is our pet. It is a great honor to meet you, your majesty." They all bowed a little to the queen and she left a small pleased chuckle out.

"Good to see visitors from foreign lands being so polite. Please, follow me. I want to hear as many stories as you can share." She said with a hand gesture, and the marines followed the queen to a big banquet room, where many foods were served. Suffice to say they all had glimmering eyes over it.

…

" _And the food is sooooo goooooood! They are inviting everyone for a visit! And they play music! It is so soothing and…._ "

"Cpt. Rose, I appreciate your report, but can we keep it at least a little professional?" Glynda said over the radio, and Ruby giggled a little. "I will report all this to the captain when he wake up. For now, remember to stay vigilante."

" _Understood. Anything we should know from your side?_ "

"Every single sensor is showing normal readings. We will let you know if anything changes."

" _Yeah, OK. Tell the skipper we will be waiting for him_. Over."

Glynda ended the communication and decided to check on Jaune. He was a bit down since the team told about the first contact. She left the bridge under Ren's care (the only one she trusted enough that wouldn't create chaos) and walked to the captain's quarters. She pressed the buzzer but no response.

"Penny, is the captain sleeping?"

" _Yes, Commander, but he is sleeping on the sky deck_." The AI informed and the blonde woman groaned.

Jaune would from time to time sleep there, saying the lack of gravity helped him relax, but she hated the fact the captain slept in probably the most dangerous part of the ship. It took a while for her to arrive there, and as Penny said there was the blonde boy enveloped in a blanket, peacefully sleeping with the image of the planet behind him. He was sleeping so peacefully that the commander felt guilty about waking him up, but he asked to be always informed about the fireteam in the surface of the planet.

"Captain?" She floated close to him, but to no reaction. She shook him slightly. "Captain?" No reaction yet, so she shook him harder and spoke louder. "Jaune!"

"Not now, sis. I will cook another time." He answered as he turned around. Glynda sighed but smiled after and shook him harder.

"Jaune!"

"What!? Oh, Commander… Sorry…" He said as he fixed himself a little. "I thought you were Maika…"

"I am too old to be your sister, Captain."

"You aren't old, Commander. I am pretty sure a lot of the guys back at combat school found you to be perfect." Jaune said and then froze in place. "I have put my foot on my mouth, haven't I?"

"While I appreciate your flirting, captain, I am here to inform you Cpt. Rose informed everything is alright and that the natives are inviting the whole crew to visit their city." Glynda said with a smile, making Jaune blush hard.

"I was not… I… GAH! Is it wise?" Jaune asked trying to move on.

"I think the crew, and you, could use some rest." She said and Jaune nodded.

"Organize a shift schedule. No more than five of us down there at any time. Put Coco, Sun and Neptune on the next shift. The three probably could use some time out of the ship."

"I am putting you and Shen too. You have being too stressed."

"Have I? I probably have. We start tomorrow morning. Now excuse me, I will return to sleeping." Jaune said as he snuggled on his blanket again.

"Sir, it is not wise sleeping here in a Zero G environment."

"You should try it, Commander."

"Are you inviting me to sleep with you?" She answered in a serious tone, but with a teasing smirk.

"GOOD NIGHT COMMANDER." Jaune shouted and turned around, missing the small giggle Glynda left out.

…

"Morning." Jaune said as he entered the bridge with his usual crew. Penny and Glynda greeted them as they all took their positions.

"Ready for a day off?" Glynda asked Jaune and he nodded.

"I sure am! Can't wait to taste real food again!" Coco celebrated as she checked her panel. "How long before we can go?"

"Two hours at most. Ruby must be preparing her team to come back, but I bet they don't want to." Jaune answered with a smirk when a series of alarms sounded on the bridge. "OH COME ON! REN!"

"It is the subspace sensors! Something is… on the main screen…" Ren pointed and they saw an aurora effect on the upper atmosphere of the planet.

Something was warping out.

…

"I don't wanna!" Yang protested as they were walking back to the Puma.

"I know! If I could I would stay longer, but the others want to visit too, and we are just visiting anyway, not moving here… yet. We won't abuse the hospitality, sis." Ruby answered as they put their helmets and once again they were walking in the rain.

"We might convince the captain to allow us to come again. I mean, if we are allowed to." Weiss spoke toward Calinora. The native smiled at her friendly.

"It would be an honor to have you all again. My people… What is happening with the sky?"

They all looked up to see the clouds distorting and shining in many colors. Then a loud sound could be heard, like howling wind. The lights stopped and a giant black object came through the clouds, leaving a hole in them from where the sunlight came. The object had the form of a seed, and was mostly black, peppered with white spots. It landed far away, but it was as big as a mountain, and after several minutes they heard a loud sound and a shockwave pushed them down and back.

…

"REN!" Jaune yelled as they observed from space the alien object landing a few hundred kilometers from the position the Marines were.

"That can't be right! An object of that size should have hit the planet like a comet, not so… soft!" Ren said as he checked his sensors. "That thing is not a natural occurrence! It is just floating a few meters from the ground and at five hundred clicks from the city!"

"Coco, prepare our orbital weapons! Velvet, try to reach the fireteam! I want a close up of that thing NOW!"

…

"Ugh… What was that?" Yang asked as she got up and they looked at the fair away alien object. They all got up and Ruby used the scope on her gun to look at the object.

"It looks like a meteor." She said as she looked at it.

"If it was, a meteor that size would have destroyed everything in a ten thousand clicks radius and not just float there." Weiss commented and then held a hand to the side of her helmet. "The _Nagato_ is saying it came from the subspace. They are trying to analyze it."

"What is that thing? And how are you talking with your ship?" Calinora asked as her and her group woke up.

"We are using radio, a form of long distance communication. That thing came from the sky and we don't know yet what it is. Once we know we will see how we can deal with it." Pyrrha explained trying to calm Calinora down, but the natives were looking scared at it.

"Is that a sending from the gods?"

"Calm down, we will discover what it is." Pyrrha said putting a hand on the native's shoulder.

"It is just me or that thing remind you all of the Grimm?" Blake said, and everyone stared at the object in the distance.

…

"Captain, that Devourer sensor we installed is going crazy on that thing!" Ren shouted as the _Nagato_ positioned itself directly above the object in the lowest orbit possible.

"The thing the star charts says to stay away? Fantastic! Now the next thing you will tell me is that…"

"Skipper! I think you should look at this!" Coco called and Jaune turned back at the main screen.

The zoom was at maximum capacity and they could clearly see its surface as the 'hole' it made on the clouds was still present. The black surface had several white structures and at first it looked like it was a rock. But then small red glows appeared, and the black mass started to pulse. From it came something everyone on the _Nagato_ knew well, a terror that they always wanted to escape.

Creatures of Grimm.

…

"WHAT?" Weiss yelled as they were informed of what the object was.

" _It is some type of Grimm seed or spore! That is how they got to our planet! And they are what the people around this part of the galaxy call the Devourers_!" Velvet explained hastily. There was a great silence between the Marines, only broken when Calinora talked in panic.

"You know what that is?!"

"That is a vessel carrying monsters. They attacked our homeland, and we have being fighting them for millennia. They are soulless death machines that only desire is to kill anything that lives. They always attack people first." Pyrrha explained to a frightened Calinora.

"You fought it before! You know how to defeat it?"

"We used our best weapons, and we fight them. But no, we don't know how to defeat it." The redhead explained, trying to not show how much in panic she was. Calinora stared at her and then at the Grimm seed.

"So you are saying we are doomed?"

"Our captain will try to destroy it before the Grimm came out."

"How?" Calinora asked as she saw the mountain sized black object.

…

"Orbital lances are ready captain!" Coco said as they locked on it.

"Fire!" Jaune ordered.

The orbital lances were platinum lances filled with copper fired by a railgun on the _Nagato_. The lances weighted ten tons, and they caused destruction by the sheer impact of an incredible heavy object fired from orbit at a high speed. It was the most effective orbital weapon they had to destroy such an agglomeration of Grimm.

The lance was fired and they followed its descent. As it made its entrance on the atmosphere it glowed brightly, and from the ground it appeared as a sword of light followed by a dark trail of smoke. It hit the target right on top, causing a thunderous sound and a flash. But the Grimm seed seemed unaffected.

"It used some type of force field!" Ren said from his panel. Jaune clenched his fists and teeth and looked at the object bellow them.

"Coco, fire three lances with five seconds of interval between them! Then fire a MOAB at that SOB! I won't let it get to the city and our people!"

"A MOAB, sir? Those things pack a lot of punch and use a lot of Dust!" Coco questioned while loading the weapons.

…

"HE IS GOING TO FIRE WHAT?" Weiss, Blake and Yang asked.

"A MOAB! Ten tons of Dust to try to explode that thing!" Pyrrha explained as calmly as possible. _Massive Ordnance Air Blast_ , the biggest conventional weapon they could use, nicknamed 'Mother of All Bombs' by the Spacy. "It has an effective radius of a 100 clicks, and an affected area of 300. Since we are 500 clicks from the target we probably won't feel that… much."

They looked at the seed when they saw another orbital lance hitting it and shattering against its force field. And then another, and another. Lastly came the MOAB, but this one they couldn't see from the distance until it exploded, causing an incredible blinding flash of light first, before the loud sound of the explosion reached them several seconds later and the ground trembled. A cloud of dust covered the vision of the object.

"Did your captain do it? Did he kill the sky monsters?" Calinora asked anxiously as she stared at the Marines. They just looked at each other and tried to contact the _Nagato_.

" _Nagato_? Did you do it?" Ruby asked and anxiety was audible in her voice. There was several seconds of silence.

" _Negative… The MOAB only destroyed a quarter of the superstructure, and now it is dissolving in separate Grimm targets… We estimate that at least ten million Grimm will come from it and they are already dispersing. Cpt. Rose… At least a million of them are closing in your position._ "

Ruby stood there in shock over the report Velvet gave. Ten million Grimm… She looked at Calinora and her fellow guards trembling in fear. They were equipped with metal armor and weapons, and there was no way they could fight back when even the more advanced weapons they had couldn't.

" _We are going to try to curl their numbers with conventional weaponry from here but… You and your team are ordered to evacuate_." With that several small fiery dots came from the sky, from the Nagato's conventional canons.

"WHAT?! NO! We can't simply leave! We need to help these people! They can't fight the Grimm alone!" Ruby protested over the radio.

"Captain! We can't stay here! We don't stand a chance against one million Grimm!" Weiss protested as she held Ruby by her shoulders. "It is suicide!"

"We are Marines! We have weapons and _Hunters_ and…"

"Ruby! I am with the ice queen here! We can defeat a few dozen Grimm, but we can't defeat a million, what about ten!" Yang shouted.

"Calinora, we are sorry we can't help you. You need to run back to your people and warn then! Evacuate the city if necessary! We are sorry we can't help more than this." Pyrrha said to the native, which looked in disbelief back at them.

"You can fire light and thunder from the sky… What chances we do have?"

"When we first met the Grimm, we only had weapons like yours and we survived. You can do it too." Then Pyrrha held Calinora by her hands. " _For it is in passing that we achieve immortality, through this we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee_."

Calinora felt a surge of energy and looked in surprise at Pyrrha. The other Marines nodded and did the Aura unlocking ritual to the other guards.

"This is Aura, the power we use to be able to fight. Pass along your people and fight. Don't give up." Pyrrha explained, and Calinora nodded.

"Yeah, now we can fight them!" Ruby said enthusiastically.

"No! We have our orders! We did all we could for them, Cpt. Rose! We are returning to the _Nagato_!" Weiss tried to hold the younger girl but Ruby just jumped back.

"Then you can go! I won't let our friends to fend for themselves alone!"

"Ruby, please, think about it! Even if we had all of our armed forces here, ten million Grimm…" Pyrrha tried to reason with the girl.

"We do what we can! That is what we always do! We are Marines! Our job is to protect people!" Ruby start to yell.

"Captain Ruby Rose, I am assuming the command of this team as your superior officer. We are following our orders!" Pyrrha said commandingly, surprising Ruby.

"I will…" Silence. The lights on Ruby's _Hunter_ deactivated. Pyrrha used her own to disable it, effectively trapping Ruby inside it as the servomotors couldn't move. "Lt. Xiao Long, I will have you carry Cpt. Rose back. Calinora, we are sorry we can't do more for you, even after all your hospitality."

"No… you gave us power, you tried to fight for us. This is our land and it us who should protect it. We are grateful for your blessings. That one day our paths can cross again." With that Calinora and the others left, and the Marines somberly walked back to the Puma, Ruby carried by her sister.

…

Ruby was pissed. It was rare for her to be truly angry, but now she was. She knew they left the planet, leaving the natives to deal with the Grimm alone. So they would be in the relatively safety of the _Nagato_ when thousands, maybe millions of people would face death. That was not why she became a Marine. She became one to protect people, to make things better, not to abandon them in the first difficulty. And she saw her Hunter being removed from her body she knew who was to blame.

"Ruby, I am sorry, but our orders…" Pyrrha started apologetically as Ruby's helmet was removed. They were back in the ship.

"I know, Major. I have some words to the captain!" the small girl rushed towards the elevators, but as soon as the door opened Jaune and Glynda came out of it. "YOU! How dare you do this! We need to go back! They need us!"

"So do our people, Cpt. Rose." Glynda stated back. "The _Nagato_ don't have the resources to fight such infestation alone, and we have our own mission to tend to. We did everything we could without compromising our own survival."

"Bullshit! We are running away! I always thought that this ship, that you, skipper, would be different! That you would stand your ground and not run away like a coward!" The small girl yelled in frustration surprising everyone.

"Cpt. Rose! You are talking with a superior officer! You are on the verge of insubordination!" Glynda warned her, but in her anger Ruby couldn't stop herself.

"I don't care! I am going back with whoever cares about those people or alone if needed!"

"No, you are not. We are leaving this system ASAP." Jaune stated coldly, once again surprising everyone around. "Captain Ruby Rose, you disobeyed direct orders, put your life AND the life of your fellow Marines in danger. You are to be confined to the brig until we can provide a military trial for your crimes. Lt. Xiao Long. Lt. Belladonna, escort her to the brigs. And that is an order."

"What? You can't do this! I am not wrong here!" Ruby protested, but she felt the hands of her friends on her shoulders. "You can't be serious!"

"Sorry, little sister. But as your big sister, I need to protect you, even if that means protecting you from yourself." Yang said, and Ruby just looked back agape and shaking her head.

"Fine… I will never forgive you, Jaune…" She said to the captain before Blake and Yang took her to the brigs. Jaune just stood there, showing no signs of any emotion.

…

Ruby sat in the small bed on the brig while hugging her knees. The _Nagato_ warped a few hours before and she knew now they officially abandoned the friends she made at the planet to fight the Grimm alone. There was nothing she could do know if she couldn't convince Jaune to go back, and after her emotional outburst back at the docking bay she knew he had no reason to listen to her. But the fact no one got on her side hurt even more.

"Ruby?" The girl looked up to see Weiss standing outside the cell, staring down on her. She wasn't in the mood for a lecture.

"If you are here to tell me I am wrong, go away."

"No, I am not here to tell you the obvious. I am here because I want you to answer me a simple question I am sure you not answered to yourself." Weiss said, and Ruby gave her a confused look. "How?"

"How?" Ruby asked back, not understanding the question she received.

"You are… a great Marine, and you have led us to many victories back home. You have all the qualities of a leader even if you don't show them outside the battlefield. So, Captain Ruby Rose, how? Answer this question first, and then I might be able to help you." Weiss said leaving soon after. But ruby noticed the plate of cookies left on the cell's door.

…

"Hey Rubes, how are you holding up?" Yang asked the next day as she brought her breakfast. Jaune haven't talked to the confined Marine yet.

"Being better. How is everyone else?"

"Being better. To be honest, things are too tense and gloomy out there. Even Nora hasn't smiled since yesterday. Zwei misses you." The small robotic dog barked and whimpered from Yang's feet. "I miss you."

"I am sorry, but I did nothing wrong! I wanted just to help those people."

"Your heart was in the right place, but not your head. Ruby, we used the most devastating weapon we could use without destroying the whole planet and barely scratched them. We fought less Grimm with more people back home and lost, and that is with Hunters and aerial support. Ruby, do you really believe we could win that fight?" Yang spoke in a very comforting, sisterly tone.

"We would never know without trying…" Ruby answered weakly.

"So tell me, how many of us would die there before you decided it was a pointless fight?" Ruby couldn't answer back and remained silent. "Eat, the captain cooked for you."

"He did?" She answered surprised, believing Jaune was angry at her, probably rightfully so now that she could think calmly about it. She opened the tray to find the food and two cookies.

"One is from me. Jauney sent the other." Ruby had to fight her tears as she heard that.

"Can I talk to him…"

"No, you can't. At least, not if you still want to fight him." Yang said, and Ruby shook her head. "OK, I will see if I can sweeten him for you."

"Why you made it sound so dirty?"

"Oh, little sister, if I am lucky, that is how it will go." Yang said with a smirk and a wink, making Ruby yell at her.

…

Penny looked as Ruby stood by the captain's quarter's door. It was clearly the Marine was nervous, but the android had no idea how to help as she never imagined or experienced situations like this. It was the first time she saw two close friends having a real fight like that, and it was even more amusing that this one was between Ruby and Jaune, two of the nicest people she knew. The android did the only thing she could come with, and rested a comforting hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"Is he angry?" Ruby asked with her eyes aimed at her feet.

"That is not the proper word… I don't think I have one to describe how his state of mind is… But I know he don't want to be like that, or to sadden you." Penny answered as honestly as she could. Ruby just nodded.

"Well, time for my execution."

"I don't think the captain would do this!" Penny said in a bit of panic, making Ruby giggle a little.

"Yeah." With that she buzzed the door and it opened. Penny gave her a wave before the door closed, and in front of her sat a Jaune she didn't knew and didn't like. Serious Jaune, Spacy Officer. He signalized for her to sit and so she did.

But then there was a long, awful silence as Jaune just stared at her. She squirmed uncomfortable and tried to avoid his gaze, but it was always there, somehow, and after a minute or two she finally cracked.

"OK! I know I disobeyed your orders but those people needed help! I did nothing wrong!"

"How?"

"How?" That question again. What he wanted her to say? How what? How would she fight the Grimm? That was… not as easy as she thought now that she could think about it calmly. They had fifteen hunters and one spaceship with limited resource access. She started running several plans on her head about how she could use them to fight that Grimm invasion. And she finally understood that no matter how much they wanted to help, they would lose that fight.

"Do you understand know why we left?" Jaune asked as the realization struck Ruby hard and she showed as tears finally flowed from her silver eyes. "If I could, I would have stayed back there and helped. But staying there would result in our deaths, the deaths of the people back home and the death of the natives. Knowing to choose the fights you can win is a quality you will need if you want to lead people, Cpt. Rose."

"I am sorry… for saying those horrible things to you… I… I should have trusted you after this long…" Jaune finally softened his face, got up and put the sobbing girl into a hug.

"One day, I want to go back there, with as many ships and soldiers I can gather and help them. But to do that, we need to finish our mission. This is a promise I make with you, Rubes." That broke the dam and Ruby cried as loud as she could, and for as long as she needed while Jaune gently held her. It took almost fifteen minutes before she finally calmed down again.

"So… What will be my punishment?"

"Well, you did disobeyed orders, and you yelled at me." He said, making the girl squirm under his hug. "Usually all that would means expelling you from the Marines, what we can't do here, so it would be the brigs for as long as the trip lasts. And I would rather not do it. So I am temporally suspending your rank and putting you under Lt. Schnee supervision."

"Can I choose the brigs?" She asked and they both laughed, finally dispelling the gloominess and making amends. "But seriously, can I choose the brigs?"


	23. Strip Omake 3

"OK, next question is: What is your sexual fantasy? OH, I love whoever wrote this question!" Yang commented and everyone looked around to find the culprit. Blake was so, so glad she had the best poker face. "Fine, I will start. I always wanted to try it at a beautiful beach, in the water."

"That would be gritty." Sun said while eating a banana. "With the sand and all."

"That is why I would do in the water." Yang answered.

"Wouldn't that attract sharks? They say they are attracted to blood." Ruby questioned.

"And why there would be blood?" Weiss inquired.

"Because Yang is a jbiuaqvgj" Yang put her hand on Ruby's mouth and everyone looked at the blonde.

"I like to scratch." She dodged, and everyone but Blake accepted that. "How about you, Weiss?" The heiress looked at her clothes and removed her socks. "No fun. But we might see you naked."

"I would rather kill you all." Weiss deadpanned, and some of them were sure she would try.

"Blakey!"

"Under a blooming cherry tree, wearing kimonos." Blake answered as plainly as possible.

"Why kimonos? Why a cherry tree? Where do you even got this idea from?" Coco questioned and Blake shrugged, because she wouldn't ever spoke aloud of her _Space Ninjas of Love novels_.

"Ruby?" The small girl removed her shoes. "Wait, you do have sexual fantasies?"

"I am nineteen! Of course I am interested!" Ruby blushed immediately as everyone laughed.

"Captain!"

"Stockings and lacy underwear." He confessed while hiding his face, and a few girls made notice to acquire some soon.

"Wait, does that mean you have fantasies with the Commander? She is always wearing stockings…" Yang asked and they watched as Glynda kept an impassive face and Jaune fumed from his ears.

"NO!" He was able to shout.

"What a pity." Glynda said and they all stared shocked at her. "It was a joke."

"Are you able to joke?" Yang said while dramatically moving her hands. Glynda just stared at her. "Ouch. OK, after this shocking revelation, Nora!"

"Renny!" She answered promptly and everyone looked at the boy. "What was the question again?"

"I think we do have an answer." Yang stated.

"Wait, no we don't!" Ren tried to fix the situation but Yang ignored him.

"So, Renny, how about you? Is your answer Nora?" Ren just removed his other shoe. "Ha! It so is! OK, champs?"

"I… I…" Pyrrha removed her shoes, unable to say that with Jaune in the room.

"Velvet?"

"Cosplay…" Bunny answered while hiding her face with her ears.

"Oh, I so need to see this sometime." Yang commented with a smirk, making Velvet blush more. "Neptune!"

"Slapping…" he confessed.

"Wait, slapping where, exactly?" Coco asked and Neptune shut his mouth. "I bet you like some slaps in the d." Neptune gagged at the affirmation while everyone laughed.

"Sun!"

"Heh, easy, I like to be oiled up." The lie detector fired immediately. "What? Come on!" Sun removed his shoes.

"Now I am really curious what exactly you are hiding. Commander? Heh, I think we all know by now. You like younger boys." Glynda just stood there, silently. "Wait, really? Hey, skipper, you might get your fantasy!" Jaune just turned his brain off. "Coco!"

"Hmmm, cute girls in frilly dresses." Coco admitted, and Yang instinctively pushed Ruby close while eyeing the short-haired brunette.

"So, Doc?"

"Oh, I like big groups." She said with a sultry smile and everyone squirmed a little under her gaze.

"We are a bunch of perverts! And we still have more questions to answer!" Weiss protested.

"And the last one is Penny…" Yang said still keeping an eye on Coco and hugging Ruby.

"Do androids even have sex?" Sun questioned.

"I am fully compatible with the human anatomy, and in fact I am very curious about this act of intimacy." Penny answered and they all stood there in utter shock.

"Ren, why she is fully compatible? Is that even true?" Jaune asked in a whisper.

"It is true, and I have asked myself this very question… Whoever projected Penny's android body, had some weird ideas…"

…

Ozpin sneezed for no reason back at the Colonies.

…

 **A.N.: OK, next chapter will take a little longer to be up, with the weekend and all. ^^**


	24. Lies and Deceptions

The _Nagato_ returned to the outskirts of the Known Sector to get more information on the Grimm and the Devourer's Line as Jaune decided to not take chances. With the reality that the monsters could appear at any moment, they decided that they needed to know everything possible about them, and know they have dozens of alien species experiences with those creatures to rely on, so once again Yang was in _The Club_ to get information.

"I did not expect you so soon, goldie." Jun'ee'or stated as the girl sat on the other side of his table, and she just shrugged.

"I missed this place, despite the severe lack of Strawberry Sunrise." She answered and the man just smirked, despite having no idea what she was talking about, just to be pleasant. "So, business! I need all information you have about the Devourers."

"Them? You probably can get all information you need about them in a library."

"We both know that is not true, and besides, why waste time with public relations and making a library card when I can just give you some Dust and get all I need?" Jun'ee'or laughed and punched some buttons on his terminal, then gave her a data stick. She graciously took it.

"How much?"

"Same price as before. I can give you a discount if you give me all information about your people and that ship of yours. Lots of people are talking about you guys nowadays." Yang found that comment odd. It was not like they had that many encounters with aliens and most of them were far from being peaceful.

"We are just an exploration excursion, getting to know the neighborhood." She stated calmly. Jun'ee'or then gave her another data stick. "What is this?"

"Consider it a bonus for a faithful client. Using what we analyzed from your physiology, I marked a planet just outside the Mapped Zone that a probe found. It is unclaimed, so I thought you might be interested." Yang grabbed the stick and stared at it for a moment. It sounded too good to be true, yet she took it.

"We will take a look if we have time. It was a pleasure to negotiate with you. Bye bye!" She finished as she stood up and left. Jun'ee'or watched her back and sighed. He took a liking for that alien girl, he would admit. But business is business, and he sent a message from his terminal.

…

Once again the Nagato floated in the middle of nowhere. Jaune ordered to have the data translated first, a job Penny was on. Or at least her mobile unit was. The rest of the crew was doing maintenance on everything, and most of them avoided discussing anything except the trivial as to not remember them of all the troubles they had till that moment. The captain himself though was doing the hard job of remembering all those events as he wrote his reports with the help of Glynda.

"Just because we don't have to submit the reports everyday doesn't mean you could slack on doing them, captain." She chastised him a month worth of reports was left undone.

"I still don't know why I can't submit Penny's reports anyway. They are very detailed." Jaune groaned as he kept typing.

"Because her reports are overly detailed, and they lack the most important element: the opinion of the commanding officer, that I should remind it is you."

" _Sorry I can't be of help, captain_." The AI said over the intercom.

"It is OK, Penny. I need to do my own job from time to time, although my performance have being severely disappointing." He said as he kept typing, not noticing the disapproving stare Glynda gave him as she fixed her glasses.

"Captain, you have performing admirably considering the circumstances. You have being dealing with unknown enemies and situations that even the most seasoned captain would have trouble dealing with. Not only that, you have kept everyone alive AND avoided at least a few mental breakdowns. My report about you will tell the Spacy command that you are fit to be captain of any ship." Glynda stated so matter of fact that Jaune looked at her in silence for a few seconds.

"Thanks, Glyn. You are the best first officer I could ever ask." He said and she smiled at him.

"Now, go back to work, Jaune." He sighed and started again.

" _Captain, the translation of the data about the creatures of Grimm we acquired from Jun'ee'or is finished. Do you want to read them right now?_ " Jaune trades stares with Glynda and both decided it was better get that first.

"Yes, Penny. We will read it right away. How about the planet they offered us?"

" _The data shows no signs of alterations and the coordinates are a match with our own maps_ , _captain_."

…

The crew was reunited later that day on the mess hall. Jaune cooked them a nice meal out of nowhere, but none of them complained. The mood have being so tense that even Yang's puns haven't be able to lighten it up. So a nice meal with everyone really hit the spot for them. When everyone were sitting down and eating, Jaune began speaking.

"OK, everyone. If I can have a minute of attention…"

"I will give you the first minute for free, and then you will have to pay if you want to keep talking." Yang said, and Jaune rolled his eyes.

"If it is bad news, I vote for us to NOT talk about it at all." Sun added, and Jaune face palmed. Yes, his crew sense of humor was still messed up.

"Not every news I bring are bad news. Those are actually good news!"

"OH! We will finally get that compact car?" Nora chirped, and Jaune was about to kill someone.

"Better you talk already, Jaune." Pyrrha said in a comforting tone and Jaune nodded.

"We accomplished our secondary mission." He said with a smile, but everyone else but Glynda and Penny (the android was actually clapping) stared at him. "OK, that is not the reaction I expected."

"Sorry, but… It is just that we don't know exactly what we accomplished." Blake explained and Jaune stared at them. It appeared he would need to tell them in more details.

"Our secondary mission was to prove the origin of the Grimm and bring home as much data we can. Not only we proved that Dr. Oobleck's theory is true, which probably will make lots of people apologize to him, we have hundreds of thousands of pages detailing all this part of the Galaxy knows about them. Not only that, we acquired sensors able to detect them."

"What that even means?" Ruby asked and Blake explained.

"It means that the Grimm back home won't have the advantage of surprise attacks anymore. It is a huge tactical advantage." Ruby nodded over the explanation, but no one was actually excited over the news.

"Not only that. We now know how they came to our planet, and we do have sensors to detect them before they land. It means that when we find a new planet to live, we also will be better prepared to defend it." Jaune complemented.

"But… we used some of our most powerful weapons and couldn't stop them…" Ruby said as memories of their last stop were brought back to her mind.

"We weren't prepared that time. When we start colonizing a new home, we will have better weapons thanks to all data we collected, including from that battle. And we will have the full power of the Spacy and the Marine Corps by them." Jaune said in a comforting tone, and Ruby smiled a little. "Which brings me to the second news, those ones can be good or bad until we actually verify it. Penny?" The artificial girl used her built-in holo-screen to show the planet they were aiming at.

"The fourth planet of the Otter system, data collected from an alien probe. 98% similar to our home planet, no signs of indigenous intelligent races on the planets surrounding it or the planet itself, no alien race claiming possession." Penny explained, and finally the expressions of everyone lightened.

"Are you saying…" Weiss said with hope in her voice.

"If this data is true, we might accomplish our primary objective with this one stop. Of course, we had being deceived before, so I would keep expectations in check. Either way, I want all of you to know that this mission was not a complete failure until know. Your efforts were not wasted." He finished, and he felt relieved as smiles started popping up on the crew's face. "OK, we will revise this data tomorrow. I want everyone to rest tonight."

…

The fighters returned of their patrol after a whole day flying around the planet. Jaune and Yang landed on the Nagato and were greeted by literally everyone on the ship. Even Dr. Shen was there in one of the rare occasions she left the med bay. The captain had decided to be extra careful with that planet, so they have being doing close scans of it and even firing against the planet itself to be extra sure. As soon as they removed their helmets Ruby was all over them.

"So? So? So?"

"Calm down, Rubes. We still need to see the data we got. At least the planet exploded as supposed to." Yang said as she petted her sister.

"I still can't believe you fired a missile against a mountain!" Weiss complained, but Yang grinned happily.

"And guess? It is a real mountain!"

"OK, everyone, Yang and I need to rest, after that we will see the data we acquired and decide our next step." Jaune said calming everyone down. Except Yang.

"Oh, you finally invited me to your bed." He gagged while Ruby and Weiss yelled at her.

But at least the moral of the crew was clearly improving.

…

Pyrrha watched the world around her.

It was hard to believe only a few months passed since they started that trip, yet she saw and lived things no one else ever did. In just that short period of time she was yanked from a predictably life she didn't want to finally accomplish things on her own, to finally form friendships that actually meant something. She saw Weiss and Ruby helping Velvet get samples of the trees around them while Blake scouted the area on top of one and just wanted to hug every one of them.

But what she loved the most at that moment was the beach they were in.

The white sand and blue water was incredible pretty, a sight she never expected to see. She decided that one day, if possible, she would bring her children with her there, so they could feel the same breeze she was feeling at that moment. And as the fighters flew above them, she decided that if they finished their mission that day, she would tell the man she chose to be the father of her future children how she felt.

"Pyrrha!" The redhead turned her stare towards Blake as the catgirl descended from the tree she was nested. "Jaune said they detected some magnetic anomaly a little far from here. According to Penny is just a natural occurrence, but the captain want us to go back just to be safe."

"And who am I to disagree? OK, everyone, pack your things, we are going back." Pyrrha said and a disheartened Ruby and Velvet started retrieving their equipment.

"I hope it is nothing, I surely want a day at the beach. A real beach that is not filled with things to kill us…" Ruby lamented, and Pyrrha gently wrapped an arm around the small girl.

"I am with you, captain. I am already planning a nice beach house for me when we start colonizing this place." Neptune said as he prepared the bullhead for takeoff. "The ladies will love it."

"Better we let the house planning for another day. Besides, everyone knows a house by the mountains is the best option." Weiss proudly stated, and they shared a laugh.

They boarded the bullhead and the flying machine flew over the waves.

It was then that several metallic tentacles grabbed it and pushed it under water.

…

"Thank heavens is just a thunderstorm." Jaune said over the static filled radio to his partner in flight, Yang.

"Yep, and it is not going to ruin the beach day for my little sister. Shall we go back to the _Nagato_ and plan a party?"

"I think we deserve it after we finish with the data, so yeah, sure. Let's get out of this storm and call the ship." The two fighters soon left the thundercloud and returned to the blue skies near where they left the fireteam. Jaune tried to contact the _Nagato_ , but something interfered with the communications and soon an image formed.

Roman.

" _Ah, hello there. You must be part of that insufferable ship that has being annoying me for a while. See, we got your friends… again…_ " The image showed Ruby and the others without their helmets, unconscious, strapped to a wall. Blake had blood in her mouth and Neptune a black eye. _"…So, no point with small talk. This is actually a pre-recorded message; we already warped out of this system. So, here's the deal. We are sending coordinates of a nearby star system; you will go there and surrender your pretty ugly yet quite powerful ship to us. Do that, and I will let your friends and you live. You have two deca-cycles to comply. See you all soon_."

Jaune started cursing over the radio.

…

"A deca-cycle is roughly twenty hours, according to the data we got. The system they indicated is a red dwarf system, unlikely to have planets around it." Ren said trying to keep a cool head. "We don't know how many they are, how many ships they have and they still have our friends."

"I am open to any and all suggestions." Jaune said as the Nagato flew towards the warp point.

"We go there, bloody murder everything that is not our friends, rescue them, and then we bloody murder everything on the way out." Yang said as her eyes glowed head.

"We will call this Plan M. Now, we need a plan A that doesn't involve getting ourselves and everyone else murdered." Jaune stated but put his hand on Yang's, and she took a deep breath to calm down, knowing he was right.

"Captain, I know what I will say sounds heartless, but we accomplish our primary mission. We found a planet we can live in, and we should inform Remnant." Glynda stated, and Yang was about to say something but Jaune stopped her, knowing the commander would add something. "Of course, this is what protocol state. But rescuing our friends is a priority right now. I suggest we use the fighter's stealth abilities to try something."

"They probably know about them dues to the fact they waited us there to lay that trap. Jun'ee'or gave us that information for free just so they could do it. He probably passed all information they could to the pirates." Jaune said as he put his brain to work. "I can see a way out, but… it is extremely risky, low chance of success and might get us all killed, yet it will grant that Remnant knows about the planet. So the question is: do you people trust me?"

"Well, your crazy plans always worked. Besides, I want my bunny back." Coco said as she fixed her sunglasses.

"Yeah, I want her bunny back too! And Neptune, he is a swell guy." Sun added, lighting the mood a little.

"As long as I can murder anyone that dared to touch my little sister…" Yang agreed, and soon everyone agreed in follow Jaune's plan, whatever it was.

…

"Why are you doing this?" Pyrrha asked Roman as they were moved to cells with hardlight doors.

"Revenge, mostly. It took me a while to kill every member of my little band of entrepreneurs that thought because you guys fooled me twice I was not fit to be admiral. But now, there is no way your little ship can defeat me, not when I have my twelve ships strong fleet here, plus two thousand pirates, and of course…" He showed a holographic image.

The only object orbiting the red star was a space station made of the remains of several ships, where the pirate ships were docked. Pyrrha understood that they were in complete disadvantage there. Even if the _Nagato_ arrived firing all the weapons, they had little chance to defeat them. She almost hoped that Jaune would turn around and save themselves.

"…so I would not expect a rescue. But don't worry, as a business man, I don't intend to kill any of you. I know of a species that love to mess around new test subjects and will pay a good price for you lot."

"Sir, the alien ship arrived and is expecting instructions." One of the pirates said, and Roman smirked.

"Ah, the love between brothers and sisters in arms. So inspiring! And completely foolish. Now, will you excuse me while I go get my new ship?" Roman laughed and moved away while Pyrrha bit her lips. She couldn't believe Jaune just came for them like that. She was about to despair when Ruby grabbed spoke from her cell.

"Don't worry, Jaune is smart, he probably have a plan!"

"Ruby is right, let's just wait and see what he is planning to."

…

"Are you sure they are all the crew members?" Roman asked as he passed the eight people that were kneeled down and with their hands behind their heads, their weapons and armors behind them in a pile.

"We scanned the entire ship, Captain Roman. The only life signs were from those eight." Roman slapped the crewmember's face.

"Admiral Roman. But it makes sense now. Unknown species, big, heavily armed ship with little crew, stopping in determinate planets… You are an exploratory vessel. Probably trying to find a colony for yourselves. I bet your home is having a little Devourer's infestation." The pirate looked at them and laughed. "I love the Devourers, you know? So many ships going around, asking to be pillaged and sold in the black market. So many slaves to be sold in certain planets. I am sure I can find a buyer for you all. Now, who's the captain?"

"It is me, Jaune Arc of Remnant Spacy." The blonde boy said, and Roman used his cane to raise Jaune's face.

"Ugly, but your whole race is ugly. Now, I will put you all in a cell for now, just in case I need your help to access your ship's systems. Don't worry; your little friends are alive. You are worth way more alive anyway. Neo, take them to the cells."

The alien girl nodded and made a motion with her weapon, leading the way as the group walked around the rather terrifying space station, more due to its clear improvised appearance than anything else. As the group disappeared through a door, Roman admired the _Nagato_ from the window, the ship docked in one of the airlocks of the station.

So he started laughed over his victory.

…

"YOU DOLT! WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" Weiss yelled as Jaune was put in a cell just across her. "You should have escaped back to Remnant if your plan was being captured!"

"Glad to see you too, snow angel. Is anyone hurt?" Jaune asked the rest of the crew.

"They punched my face a little when I tried to get them off Blake." Neptune said from his cell. "It is a war crime punching someone as handsome as me."

"They punched me when I bit someone's finger off. God their blood tastes awful. Aside that I am fine." Blake shouted.

"Badass kitten! Rubes, are you fine?" Yang shouted.

"Yeah! Now please tell me you have a plan!" The redhead girl yelled.

"Well, there are two members of the crew they didn't capture." Jaune stated with a smirk.

"Wait… Who? OH no! NONONONO!" Weiss started losing her cool.

…

From a service port on the _Nagato_ , emerged a small, dog-like creature with a tiny jetpack on his back. He barked soundless in the emptiness of space as another figure emerged, in a green, black and grey _Hunter_ armor. The two robotic companions floated a little before moving towards the space station. The two soon were walking over the superstructure until they found an airlock.

Penny released her swords and fixed two of them on the control panel in the outside, and used magnetic pulses to hack and open the door without triggering the alarms. Soon she and Zwei were inside the pirate cove. She found a panel and started to hack on the systems while the robo-dog sat by her feet.

"I found our friends, Officer Zwei. Now, all we need is to rescue them. Ah, I also found their weapons, good. Close to the cells, a bad design if you ask me. Downloading the schematics to our hard drives… Hiding our signatures from their sensors… And done. Good thing they are trying to decode the _Nagato's_ system and my second core is learning their own systems at the same time." She stated to the dog that put his tactile sensor (it looked like a tongue) of his mouth. Penny put two small packages on his back. "Now, Officer Zwei, those are powerful plastic explosives. I am giving you the coordinates where you should put them. This is a stealthy mission, so do not get caught."

The small dog nodded and bellied up, quickly worming off to plant the explosives. Penny nodded and started walking around to find her friends and free them. She just hoped her core on the _Nagato_ could hold the pirates off long enough for her to do so.

…

"I really think this thing is playing with us. It is almost like it is intelligent!" One of the pirates complained as another cat video appeared on the screen as they tried to hack into the ship's system from the bridge. "Those images are oddly… entertaining."

"Something fascinating about those little creatures playing around…" Another pirate agreed.

"Stop wasting time you two! We all know AIs are not clever enough to do anything outside protocol! Just hack harder!" A third pirate complained. Penny's AI giggled internally as she made the terminal play some maddening sticky song.

…

"I want the rifle-plasma blade thing!" One of the pirates said as he examined the weapons they got from the _Nagato's_ crew.

"I want the grenade launcher. And one of those armors! Though we would have to modify them to fit, those guys' knees are weird." Other commented with Jaune's helmet in his hands.

"Excuse me, can I have those back? They are property of the Remnant Colonial Armed Forces and I would love if you gentleman return it to us." The two pirates turned around and saw penny standing there, smiling with her helmet off. They stared at her, at each other, and dropped what they were carrying to grab their guns, but Penny tasered them unconscious. "I am sorry I had to rely to violence."

She grabbed some steel ropes and tied the two pirates, and used some rags to gag them. With a proud smile over a work well done, she started to put her friend's weaponry on a big cart, and moved to find them, wondering if Zwei was having the same luck.

…

Zwei planted the explosive between the spaces of two metal plates and walked away, as pirates passed around oblivious to the rather minute drone.

…

"AND WHEN WE GOT BACK I WILL HAVE YOU KICKED OUT OF SPACY! I WILL HAVE YOU KICKED OUT FROM THE COLONIES! THEN I WILL KICK YOU OUT OF LIFE!" Weiss ranted towards a rather calm Jaune.

"At least she is an optimist." Sun commented with Neptune.

"Well, if that does not work I hope we got sold to sexy alien chicks." Neptune answered half in jest.

"Really? That is all you can think? Becoming a sex slave?" Coco wandered towards them.

"I can think of worse fates." Neptune answered, receiving a scoff from her.

"I know I will just escape, steal a ship and then I will find Jaune and kick his ass for this plan." Blake answered from her cell. "Really? Penny and Zwei?

"First, Penny is combat ready. Second, I am pretty sure Ren programmed Zwei to be way smarter than expected. Or safe." Jaune defended his plan. He was almost sure it would work, considering there was no alarms sounding nor utter destruction around them.

"I will tell you what, if this plan works, I will a dress for a day." Neptune stated.

"If this works, I will massage the captain's feet!" Weiss yelled. Then the hardlight cell doors disappeared to her surprise.

"Salutations, friends, Weiss! I brought your weapons. Now we can move towards the second phase of the captain's plan and as he said, 'haul ass'." Penny said with her usually energetic disposition, carrying a cart filled with their armors and weapons and half a dozen unconscious pirates.

"Ye of little faith." Jaune said with a wild grin as they started putting their armors. "Petty Officer, I will make sure we have a dress ready for you. Lt. Schnee, I will be waiting for the massage."

Weiss growled at him while they finished helping each other inside their armors. Once finished they put the unconscious pirates on the cells and Penny reactivated the hardlight doors. They returned to the storage room from where the android retrieved the weapons and started planning their next step.

"OK, Penny, Ren and Nora, try to find a terminal to access all you can on this place. I want every defense system disabled ASAP. Neptune, Sun, Doc, Glynda, Coco and Velvet, I want you six to retake the _Nagato_ and keep the way out safe. Ruby, Weiss and Blake, try to keep the pirates busy close to the airlock the _Nagato_ is in. Yang, Pyrrha and me will try to find Roman and get rid of him." Jaune stated as Penny projected a map of the station and he pointed where everyone was supposed to go.

"Wait, why go after the bad guy?" Ruby asked in a low voice. "Shouldn't we just escape this place?"

"First, we need all the distractions possible. Between getting into our ship AND going to a warp point we have a long way to go, and they have more ships than us. So keeping them busy inside will give us time. Second we don't know what defenses this place has, so they can just erase us from the stars for all we know. Third, I am really tired of them." Jaune finally said with a loud sigh. "They are pursuing us now and I doubt they will stop. Therefore I officially declare Roman's pirates a threat to Remnant and its people, and give you all permission to kill on sight. Do not hesitate to kill anything on our path or we will die."

There was a long moment of silence. None of them except Jaune had killed something besides Grimm, and now they were confronted with a deadly enemy that was hell bent in getting them, so in the end they all nodded in agreement. Jaune gulped with guilty that he just ordered them to kill people. It was a different sensation of shooting ships from the bridge with canons and actually seeing the enemies in front of them. He breathed hard one last time before getting up.

"Now go!"

…

"Hey boys!"

Coco yelled at the pirates and they looked surprised at her standing there, machine gun pointed at them. The brunette expected them to surrender, but they draw their weapons and she shot, killing the dozen or so pirates guarding the airlock that gave access to the Nagato. She sighed as she walked past them, a trail of blood running from their dead bodies.

"Neptune, Sun, Doc, clean the ship's inside. Velvet, Coco and I will keep them out." Glynda ordered and the alarms started playing. "NOW!"

The three girls pointed their weapons towards the corridor as the sound of footsteps could be heard. As Sun and the others entered the ship they could hear the gun shots.

…

"Renny, make the screaming cats stop!" Nora said as her friend and Penny tried to hack in one of the terminals inside a room that Ren guessed to be an engineering control center. Around there was some pirates they were able to knock down without killing them. While Ren and Penny tried to access the terminal, Nora protected the door.

"I am trying! It is a complex hexadecimal system wrote in a language I don't know off! Penny, how long before we can get access to it?"

"My best estimative is an hour." Penny said as she had her swords struck on one of the terminals.

"Too long! Just punch it!" Nora shouted as she fired two round of her grenade launcher.

"Nora, I can't just punch it without…" Nora moved and punched her fist through the terminal. There was a series of bleeps, static and a little fire before Penny spoke.

"Access granted! Disabling all defense systems. Disabling the docking arms locking the _Nagato_. Disabling internal communications."

"How you even…" Ren was about to ask but Nora grabbed him from his chair.

"Basic hardware engineering skill. Now let's go back to the ship!"

…

"Ruby?"

"Yes Weiss?"

"Remember me to kill the captain."

Weiss, Ruby and Blake were in what they guessed to be a repair room for smaller ships. Blake was jumping from the chains and platforms on the ceiling and attacking the dozens of pirates with well placed shots and an occasional grenade. Ruby was nested on the top of a transport ship sniping them hidden by her cloak. Weiss was on the ground, using her Dust gun to keep the enemies away.

"Come on! It is working!"

"Do you call this working?!" Weiss growled as she kept firing. "How many pirates are here anyway!?"

"Two thousand according to Roman! But I am concerned about that big one!" Blake yelled as she approached her friends.

From the back of the room came a pirate piloting service power armor, five times their size, one of the arms with a plasma cutter and the other equipped with a mean looking big claw. The pirate used the claw to grab an engine and toss at the girls, forcing them to scatter. Weiss and Blake started shooting it, but the thick armor was too much for their weapons. Even Ruby's scythe wasn't working.

"What we do?" Weiss shouted.

"I have a plan! Blake, distract it! Weiss, use all ice Dust you can on that thing!" Ruby ordered and they scattered again to do what she told them.

Blake used a smoke grenade to distract it while shooting against its cameras, making the bullets spark against the hardened Dust glass. Weiss used the distraction and fired ice against the enemy's legs, making it slow down until it stopped. The enemy started trashing around, its plasma cutter cutting anything it touched. That got Blake by surprise and she lost her balance, falling on the ground. The enemy tried to cut her in half with the plasma cutter but Weiss used her Semblance to activate a glyph and slide her friend to safety.

Ruby jumped and activated her plasma scythe, and spun as she attacked the power armor, cutting it in half, the two parts falling down. She closed her eyes and walked away to not see what happened to the pirate inside, joining her friends.

"It is Sun, they retook the _Nagato_!" Blake said after receiving the call. "The captain is saying everyone should board while the pirates are confused!"

…

The last pirate at the bridge fell dead as Dr. Verd shot it in the head with her service pistol. She left an annoyed sigh and nudged the body with her feet. Neptune and Sun looked at the dead pirates in shock for a moment.

"Boys, get on your sits. Penny, did we got them all?" The doctor asked to the AI.

" _Yes, and thanks for your timely arrival. They were almost accessing my main system_."

"Sun, call everyone, I will dispose of the dead and then help the others outside." Shen stated as she grabbed two bodies by their legs and walked away. The boys walked at her and gulped.

"Man, I don't want to ever anger her." Neptune commented as he started the systems.

"You better not, I heard that she graduated from the mandatory service with the highest body count in all Remnant story." Sun added before trying to reach the others.

…

"OK, let's go!" Jaune ordered, tapping Pyrrha's shoulder as they started moving from the station's mess hall and back to the _Nagato's_ air lock. "Yang! Let's go!"

"We still haven't found that bastard Roman!" She shouted as she punched more pirates into oblivion.

"We will have to blast him from the ship! Hurry, we need to go!" he ordered and Yang punched one pirate, making him fly against some others before running with Jaune and Pyrrha.

As they crossed an empty docking bay, the doors on the back and forth closed, trapping them inside. From the other side came Roman and Neo, staring them down. The girl just smirked as she walked towards them, while Roman tossed his cigar and pointed his cane towards them.

"You know, I was going to let you live, but it is clear you all aren't worth the trouble. So I will just kill you."

He fired his cane against them and a bright red round exploded on their feet.

…

 **A.N. At first this was to be one single chapter, but now I will divide it in two to avoid making it too long and the next one too short. So sorry for the cliffhanger. ^^**


	25. Sacrifice

As the cloud caused by the explosion subdued Jaune rushed with his hardlight shield and sword against Roman, while Pyrrha and Blake took on Neo. While the three of them got the pirates by surprise, they were met with fierce resistance.

Jaune was surprised to see that Roman wasn't all talk and was fighting in equal footing with him, despite the assistance of the _Hunter_ armor. And he wondered what that cane was made of to block his sword so easily. They traded blows and none of them seemed to be able to outdo each other.

Pyrrha and Yang weren't having better luck with Neo. The redhead had learned her lesson last time and didn't waste her energy with her Semblance, trying her best to hit the multicolored adversary. The blonde also tried to use more of speed instead of power, but even against the two Neo was able to keep them in check, always with a smirk in her face as she used her weird weapon to block and counter. But that wasn't working as they were not only getting in each other way, every time they were about to hit, the girl would dematerialize in a rain of shards and be somewhere else hitting them back.

In one of those movements Neo smiled and fired two rounds from her weapon, making Pyrrha and Yang fall back and collide with each other. The two girls got up and waited, but the multicolored alien girl just waited for them while Jaune kept fighting Roman.

"Should one of us help Jauney and then the three of us go get this midget?" Yang asked Pyrrha as her visor started to glow red.

"No… He would not be of help if we can't coordinate." Pyrrha said as she caught her breath.

"If at least that girl stopped moving so much!" The blonde complained as she got ready to fight again.

"That is it! Yang, I have an idea to pin her down! When I do, it will be your turn!"

Pyrrha felt a little ridiculous she never thought of this before. Sure the little alien had no much metal on herself for the redhead's Semblance to control, but everywhere else was made of metal. She threw her shield against Neo, and the girl blocked it with easy, but this time Pyrrha used her powers to make the shield come back and hit the alien in the back. A displeased expression filled the enemy's as she shot the shield, breaking it in many pieced.

But Pyrrha smirked under her helmet and controlled the pieces and made them hit Neo from several directions, making her illusion trick useless. The alien girl grew annoyed and used her weapon to hit the shards, making them getting stuck on the ground. But Pyrrha was not finished, and used her Semblance to manipulate the cables beneath the floor to wrap them on Neo's legs. With the distraction Yang got a window and punched Neo for the very first time, making the enemy fly back and held her stomach. The blonde tried to punch again but was hit by a shot, and while the armor saved her, she flew back.

Pyrrha jumped in the fry and started raining thrusts with her spear, and a still groggy Neo barely was able to dodge. You don't get hit by Yang without paying a price, after all. The redhead used her upper hand to disarm the alien and kicked her in the face. An angry Neo looked in surprise while holding her face. The Marine tried to connect a punch but hit shattered glass and Neo's own punch, sending her flying. The alien didn't have time to breath as Yang punched again, with the alien answering with a kick. The two attacks connect and the two girls flew with the blonde landing by Pyrrha's side.

Neo didn't have that lucky as the powerful punch sent her flying and she collided with Roman, making Jaune step back while the pirate stumbled and Neo fell on the ground, squirming in pain and holding her stomach. Roman let out a displeased sigh and kicked the alien girl making her pass out, and then he kicked her again, angering Jaune.

"Useless piece of trash! I should never have spent the money I did with you!" Roman growled but had to block and jump back as Jaune put himself between him and Neo.

"What are you doing?! She is your ally!" The blonde said and Roman started laughing loud.

"You're precious! Ally? She's my slave, an object I bought from the traders years ago." Jaune answered by attacking careless, and Roman used the chance to trip him and put his cane on his head while the two Marines watched in fear. "You gave me too much trouble! And to think you will die because you pitied an enemy that is just a slave. I will enjoy shooting your brain off!"

"Zwei! Bite!" Jaune yelled and the robotic dog jump and started biting the alien's forearm. Roman yelled and shouted as he tried to get the drone out of his arm. Seen a chance, Pyrrha launched her spear, and Zwei jumped off Roman. The spear hit the arm and cut it off, making the pirate growl in pain and ran away by a service door. Jaune got up and ran towards his Marines, helping them to stand. "Thanks, you two saved me. You too, Zwei." The robotic dog barked happily. "Now let's get out of here."

"They locked us inside!" Yang stated as she tried the door. She started punching it, but she was already low in Aura. Jaune looked around and decided to do a new crazy stunt.

" _Nagato_ , here's Jaune. We can't reach you by the air dock, we will escape other way. Start flying, we will signal you where to pick us up."

" _Understood, captain. But be aware you will not listen the end of it_." Sun answered. Jaune approached Neo and saw she was still alive, so he grabbed the emergency space bag and put her inside, closing the zipper and seeing his _Hunter_ pressurizing it.

"Captain, what exactly are you doing?" Pyrrha asked and Jaune armed his pulse rifle. "Oh." Pyrrha stated as she realized the situation.

"And why are we taking the midget with us? Let the pirates take care of her." Yang said as she watched Jaune finishing preparing the space bag.

"You heard Roman, right? She is… was a slave. At least I hope to find a place where she can receive a second chance. Don't worry; I will keep her in the brigs after Doc get a look at her. Yang, grab Zwei, Pyrrha, hold on Neo. Prepare to one hell of a ride."

…

The _Nagato_ pushed itself out of the clutches of the pirate's base, and Coco and Sun fired against the ships still docked, but most of them were already moving to intercept. Neptune maneuvered the ship a few hundred meters away and checked the scanners for any sign of the captain and the girls.

"Whatever he want to do, better he do fast! They are coming to get us and I think this time they don't want our ship!" Neptune said as he dodged a few shots. Sun fired back and took a ship down.

"Knowing him, it will be either really anti-climatic or HOLY HELL!" The golden light of the pulse canon crossed a few dozen meters from the ship's nose, which was too close for the crew members. As soon as the light dissipated they aimed the cameras at the rather large hole they opened and saw four people floating outside. "Captain! You almost took us down!"

" _Jaune can't answer at the moment! He used too much Aura! Use the tractor beam to get us inside the ship!_ " Pyrrha shouted over the radio. " _And have Doc on the bay because we have an injured prisoner with us!_ "

"Prisoner?" Sun wondered while Ren used the tractor beam to pull to pull the group inside the ship by its docking bay.

"We wonder about it later. Ren, activate the explosives on the base! Sun, Coco, destroy the enemy ships! Neptune, get us out of here! Set coordinates back to Remnant, we are going home!" Glynda ordered and they did as asked, but Velvet noticed the last command.

"Remnant, ma'am?"

"Yes, Sgt. Scarlatina. He accomplished our mission, after all." The blonde woman said but it was not the time to celebrate as the pirate ships kept firing on them.

…

Jaune and the others floated on the docking bay as the artificial gravity was turned off due to the red alert. Ruby and Weiss helped the four of them down and Doc started examining them, but Blake kept a gun pointed towards Neo all the time. The captain saw that but couldn't blame her for being cautious. After all they were fighting her a few moments before.

"You need to rest, the four of you." Doc affirmed as she scanned them. Zwei barked as he floated with Ruby. "No, you are fine and can resume your duty, Zwei."

"Pyrrha, Yang, you two go to the med bay with Doc. I am needed at the bridge. Blake, go with them and keep an eye on Neo. I want an armed guard with her all times until I decide what to do with her." Jaune explained as he used the few minutes to catch his breath.

"You should let Glyn command this fight, Jauney." The doctor said but the blonde boy shook his head.

"It is my ship, my responsibility. I want all of you out of the docking bay, it is too dangerous here."

"Shouldn't we launch a fighter at least? I still can fly." Yang said but her tone showed she was not in top condition.

"We will warp as soon as possible. I will not risk any of you now. Not when we almost did it." They didn't have time to inquiry him any further as he floated towards the elevator to go to the bridge. The rest of them followed his orders.

…

"Status report!" Jaune shouted as he entered the bridge and the _Nagato_ shook once again as it got hit. He sat on his chair and opened his panel.

"We activated the explosives and took one ship down with it." Glynda explained as the image of the base shattering could be seen. "Wukong and Adel took down other three as we were fleeing."

"Perfect! Now get us out of here!" Jaune stated as he saw the pirate ships firing and pursuing. "Sun, fire the mine net! Coco, missiles and canons! Neptune, Ren, I want all the speed!"

"Aye aye captain!" They answered at the same time.

The mine net was as the name suggested a series of powerful explosives linked by a thin nanotube cable. It was impossible to see by naked eye in the darkness of the space and the carbon coating made it hard to be detected. The net being a hundred kilometers in each side made it a good trap against pursuing ships. And as one of the mines contacted one of the pirate's ship; the net wrapped itself around it and all the small explosives detonated at the same time. It was more than enough to break the ship's hull and kill it.

"Incoming fighters!" Coco warned as the seven remaining ships launched small, globe-like ships with four wings.

"Neptune, spin us so the MASERs forward! Coco, fire them at the same time! Sun, AA guns, use them!" Jaune barked.

The _Nagato_ kept being hit but did the spin and when the MASERs were pointed Coco fired, frying a good number of the incoming fighters. The ship was hit by canon fire and one of the MASERs exploded. Neptune spun again and tried to get distance while Coco and Sun kept firing every weapon they could. They sunk two other ships along the way while taking a few hits, and Jaune thanked the improved shields or else they would have exploded by now.

"Two more minutes before the jumping point! GAH! We lost one auxiliary engine! Make it three!" Neptune said as the _Nagato_ got a strong hit in its back.

"We lost one of our main canons! And half our AA guns!" Coco shouted as she and Sun kept trying to get hid of the pursuers.

"Prepare all the flares! Ren, tell Nora to prepare the rest of our MOABs! I will use the distraction if needed too!" Jaune shouted and Ren did as asked, then the captain talked to the ship itself. "Come on, girl, just a few more clicks!"

"Jaune… I am detecting subspace variation! Something is warping close by!" Ren said and Jaune looked at the main screen as the aurora effect gave place to a silver saucer like object.

The object flew 'above' them with impressive speed and fired energy beams against the pirates. Before the _Nagato_ could do something of it the saucer fired against them, hitting the remaining of their weaponry and shaking the ship violently. The ship left a trail of debris as it moved forward.

"Damage report!" Jaune asked as he fixed himself on his chair.

"No one's hurt, but we have hull breach in the Dust deposits and the food factory. All weapons are offline. Force shields are offline. We lost both auxiliary ionic engines. The enemy ship is now using a tractor beam on us." Penny reported and Jaune was almost panicking.

"Sun, fire the flares and the MOABs! I want them exploding as soon as the flares ends! Neptune, the moment the bombs goes off, warp, jumping point or not!" Jaune ordered.

No one questioned him.

The flares were launched and activated, nullifying the tractor beam for long enough to the _Nagato_ to flee again. The saucer took a few moments to resume pursuit, apparently failing to notice the MOABs approaching them. The truth was bombs weren't very effective in a vacuum, but Dust bombs were different. They generated kinetic energy in an atmosphere, true, but in space they generated pure cosmic energy, heat and light.

When the five bombs exploded, it filled the empty space with a beautiful show of lights.

When the lights subdued, there was only the mysterious saucer floating, undamaged.

…

Roman woke up. He wasn't supposed to, he thought to himself as he looked around the dim lit room he was. He got up and noticed another thing that wasn't supposed to be there. His arm that Pyrrha took was there, but not exactly. It was a bionic prosthetic and he found it fascinating. He wondered who rescued him after the mysterious spaceship attacked them when they were pursuing the _Nagato_. Probably some fool species with too much kindness to know better than saving a pirate like him.

He was taken from his thoughts when the doors in front of his medical bed opened and three people walked towards him. He was surprised because they looked almost the same as the Nagato's crew species, except for the black veins visible wherever the skin was. There was a woman, with green hair and red eyes, the skin darker than the other two and a playful smile. A man, silver hair and black eyes, and a smug smile that made Roman want to punch him on sight.

But the third one, the other woman in the fiery dress was something different. The way she walked and stared at the pirate was regal, and Roman could sense her immense power from afar. She cast her golden eyes on him and smiled with a hand on her waist.

"And who you might be?" Roman asked, knowing he had little chance to escape that woman even if he tried.

"I am the one that owns your life. I did not rescue you from the wreckage for nothing. So, until you pay your debt, I owe you." She stated and Roman gulped. She wasn't jesting and she could do whatever she wanted, he thought.

"And how exactly can I be of assistance?"

"That black ship you was pursuing, it escaped our grip with a feint. That ship saw something they shouldn't have, and I need to find them quickly. So, let's start with you telling me everything you know about them." Roman expression was first of shock, and then an evil smile crossed his face. It appeared he would have another opportunity to have his vengeance.

…

"Well, the MASERs are gone, beyond repair, as it is three of our main canons and half of our AA guns. We lost the artificial gravity system, the bullhead the pirates captured, almost all of our Dust when the hull breached AND 90% of our food supply with that. The auxiliary ionic engines are lost. And the reason we are stranded in open space is because the damage to the left MASER also damaged the warp engine, and broke the rainbow Dust at its core." Nora explained to a tired Jaune as the _Nagato_ drifted around. After a few hours in subspace the engine gave up and they were expelled from it.

"OK, that sounds bad. Can the warp engine be repaired?" The captain asked trying to keep as calm as possible. At least no one was injured except for Neo that was still on med bay.

"Thankfully it can. But we only have enough Dust to one more warp. Even if we gather all the Dust around form our guns to life support, we can do only this last trip." Nora said in an unusual dejected tone. Jaune stood up and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"One more trip is all we need." He said and she smiled at him. Jaune returned to his seat and activated the intercom. "OK, everyone. First order of the day, six hours sleep. I know all of us have being awake for the last 24 hours and that is not healthy, so I am ordering you all to sleep. Let the automated repair sister do its job for now. After that, I want you gather all Dust you can, from your guns to the bullheads and fighters. The priority is keeping the _Nagato_ flying. After that we will start repairing the warp engine. Once we finish that we will discuss our next step."

"I hope you are adding yourself on those mandatory six hours of sleep." Glynda asked as she saw how Jaune was barely able to stay awake.

"You and me both, Glyn. If I stay awake any longer I will collapse. Penny, sorry I can't give you a rest too, but I want you to start the repairs on the warp engine right now."

"It is no problem at all, captain. I am fully charged and can work for a week!" the android said with a smile, and Jaune nodded.

"OK, I am going to pass out in my quarters. See you all later." He answered as the crew left the bridge, all walking in zombie mode.

…

"How's she?" Jaune asked as he visited the med bay the next day. On a med bed was Neo, still unconscious but alive. She looked peaceful there, at least.

"Considering I am treating a completely different species than the one I was trained to, she is stable, but I can't say stable good or stable bad." Doc said as she ran some tests again. "You know, you did well rescuing her, I think she would not survive her wounds if she didn't get first aid."

"That we shall see when she wakes up." Jaune said as he approached the girl. She really didn't look like she could fight Yang and Pyrrha at the same time and give them so much work.

"I wish we could be friends, you know?" He turned to Ruby as she spoke. She was in guard duty that morning. "I mean, if she was a slave and all, I hope she see what we did as helping her."

"This is a good attitude, Rubes." Jaune said with a smile and petted the girl, an act that ended up her favorite. "Sorry we had to confiscate your cookies."

"Well, we do need all the food we can. A month's worth supply, right?" She said with a grin and Jaune nodded, glad to have such optimistic girl on board in a moment like that. But then they listened to beeps and saw Neo squirming on the bed.

"Doc!" Jaune asked as he approached the table. Neo started trashing and he tried to hold her.

"Vitals are going wild! I have no idea what is happening!" The doctor said as she checked the panels. "I will try to stabilize her but you need to hold her!"

Jaune nodded and turned towards Neo when the alien girl simple opened her eyes, grabbed his collar and kissed him, tongue and all. It was just two seconds, but when she let go of him she returned to sleep, the beeping stopping. Jaune and Ruby stared at her dumbfounded, but the doctor just checked the panels and left a sigh of relieve. She turned to the girl and noticed she was sweating some type of gel.

"Whatever you did, Jaune, it stabilized her and triggered some physiological response. She is… cocooning." The doctor affirmed as the gel covered the girl's body and crystallized.

"Cocooning? You mean like a butterfly?" Ruby asked, as Jaune was still too shocked to answer.

"Exactly. Maybe her body is going to adapt to our life conditions." The doctor concluded as she got some samples. "And Jauney just become the first boy to kiss an alien."

"Oh, when I tell everyone…" Ruby giggled evilly, taking Jaune out of his shocked state.

"Don't do that! Call Blake, I want two Marines with her from now on. I won't risk that her change into a monsters instead of a butterfly when she wakes up. And Doc, I want a full check up on myself. What if she impregnated me or something?"

"To be fair, you would be a great father, captain." Ruby stated and they laughed a little.

…

"You… kissed her…" Pyrrha asked when they reunited at the med bay as Jaune wanted to speak with everyone. Jaune stared at her, and then at Ruby, that scratched her cheek and smiled guiltily.

"You told them." He affirmed as he pointed an accusatory finger at the small redhead.

"It escaped me when we talked about first kisses in the shower…" She said apologetically.

"First, she kissed me. Thankfully it didn't affect me and apparently it is helping her. Second, this is not why we are here."

"It is so now." Yang said with a smirk, and slightly red eyes. Jaune groaned and massaged his nose bridge.

"No, it is not! And it never will! We are reunited here today…"

"Oh, a marriage! Who is marrying?" Nora started babbling and Ren covered her mouth and nodded to Jaune continue.

"…so I can congratulate everyone. We accomplished our primary mission, and we are returning home." They all stared at him in shocked silence, and he stared back. "Uh, really? I hoped this time I would get more of a reaction."

"But… how… we… I not even…" Weiss started babbling too.

"Look, Nora and Penny finally fixed the warp engine, and the only thing left is using our reserve Dust core so we can go back to Remnant. We indeed discovered a planet fit to colonization, a prime planet to boot! No sentient indigenous species, high compatible with our physiology, no claiming over it and with the pirates destroyed there is little risk for our colonization effort!" Jaune stated, and finally it clicked with the crew. They started smiling, laughing and even crying. They shared hugs and smiles for a good fifteen minutes before Jaune could talk again. "So, once we put the core online, we are going home. I wanted to thank you all because without you this mission wouldn't be possible. I want to say you are more than my crew, you are my friends and family, and even if the Command back home sends us to different posts, I will do whatever I can to be close to you GAH!"

He couldn't finished as Yang, Pyrrha and Velvet hugged him, and that suddenly turned into a big group hug as Nora and Ruby pushed everyone into it, even Glynda and Doc. Another good five minutes passed before they could break out of the hug.

"OK, remember to not do this when we are in any official ceremony." Jaune joked.

"I promise nothing." Yang said with a wink, making Jaune blush a little.

"So, let's make our girl fly again." Jaune got a metallic box he brought with him, where the Dust cores were guarded, and punched a code, scanned his hand and used a voice sample to open it. Inside, two dodecahedral crystals rested, the size of a closed fist, made of shining colors. The captain grabbed one and stared at it, examining them for a while. Then his face contorted into an angry scowl and he broke the crystal with his hand, cutting it. The Doc and Velvet rushed to help him while the other watched the scene.

"Dude, why you did that! Don't we need those things?" Sun asked first as he saw the glass fragments and Dust powder on the ground.

"Those… aren't real rainbow Dust crystal… just normal Dust powder in a glass case…" Weiss said as tears flowed from her face. "They are fakes."

"What? Fakes? Why they gave us fakes?" Sun asked in confusion, a feeling shared by anyone else.

"Penny, security logs, from last to first." Jaune asked and Penny nodded.

"Arc, Jaune, Spacy, Captain. Ozpin, Director of Project Beacon. Ironwood, James, General, Colonial Armed Forces. Winchester, Henry, Atlas Councilman…" The captain cut her on that point.

"Councilman Winchester? Detail it."

"Councilman Winchester was the one who took the reserve cores from the Council Safe Locker to deliver it to Director Ozpin. His escort was fireteam CRDL from the Colonial Marine Corps. They used the Councilman Private's bullhead to go from the Council station to Project Beacon's dock." The android explained and Jaune started cursing under his breath.

"Wait, do you believe that they would steal the Dust? Isn't it useless except for the warp drive?" Neptune asked.

"We don't have proof. Maybe the colonies don't actually have extra cores to spare. Maybe the good counselor decided our mission was doomed and decided to 'save' the Dust, or that if we succeed we would show how his son 'found' some Dust crystals to help the colonization efforts. Either way, whoever did it screwed us." Jaune summarized as Velvet cleaned his hand from the cuts.

"No! It can't be! Not when we need one last step to finish this mission!" Weiss started crying and yelling, and Ruby hugged her tight. "Don't touch me…" Weiss said in a weak tone but kept the hug.

"Nora, Ren, alternatives?" Jaune asked his engineers. The duo stared at each other and then at the captain.

"There is… none… The rainbow Dust is what creates the warping… There are no substitutes…" Ren said defeated. Nora hugged him to hide her tears.

"There is a real rainbow Dust crystal we can use." They all moved their eyes upon Penny, who kept her eyes cast down. She unzipped her jacked and exposed her chest, but before anyone could say anything, it opened to reveal a shining crystal that changed colors and glowed naturally.

"It is a real crystal." Ren said as he examined it. "We can use it on the engine!"

"But… what about Penny?" Ruby asked, and Jaune signalized to Ren to explain.

"The crystal is being used as a Positronic brain. It is what gives Penny the ability to feel. But to use it at the warp core, it would need to be realigned. It would effectively erase its function as a Positronic brain… and Penny would be just a normal AI." Ren concluded.

"Wait, are you saying this would kill Penny?" Ruby said in panic.

"Unacceptable! She is our friend!" Weiss said in support.

"Calm down everyone! We won't be yanking Penny's heart out of her chest. I want options!" Jaune shouted and they started talking all at the same type.

" _That won't be necessary_." They all stopped talking when Penny's voice came from the intercom. They looked around to see the mobile unit wasn't there anymore. Ruby zapped to the door but it was closed shut.

"Penny!" She yelled at the walls.

" _I am not a real girl. So I won't really 'die'. My mission is to help the crew, even if this is not what you all want. I am thankful I met you all; you made me feel a part of the crew instead of part of the ship. And to thank you all, I will give my core for your lives. In my heart, I know it is the right thing to do_."

"Penny, as your captain I am commanding you to stop!" Jaune shouted with tears on his eyes.

" _I am sorry, captain. I won't be able to obey your order. Thank you, for everything."_

…

Penny stared at the empty space in the warp engine where the core should be. She never expected to be hesitant to do what she was born to. Memories of her time with the crew filled her systems, and at the same time compelled her to do what she had to. Once again she opened her chest and activated a programmed routine. Her body now moved on her own and grabbed the Dust crystal, putting it in place. Then she activated the _Nagato's_ one last warp back home.

…

"Damn it, Penny… Why you had to do this…" Jaune asked as they noticed the ship going to warp. Everyone was either crying or in silence.

"She did what she needed to… She saved us all, all of Remnant." Glynda said as she sat by his side and wrapped her arms around him.

"You know what is sad? They won't recognize it because she was artificial."

"But we will! We will tell everyone about her. That the only reason we did it was because of her!" Ruby shouted to the captain and he gave her a weak smile.

"I just wish I could have said to her that to me, she was a real girl." Jaune lamented again, tears escaping from his eyes and floating on the zero-G environment.

" _I am thankful you see me like this, captain_."

"PENNY!?" He yelled as he shot up.

"Yes _. Did you all forget I have two cores? Maybe I should have said it beforehand…_ "

"Wait, did we forget THAT? WE ARE ALL DOLTS! DUNCES! IMBECILES!" Weiss said as she tried to dry her face. "Never scare me like this again!"

"OK, let's us all forgot the scare our little friend did and celebrate! We are going home!" coco stated and they all started celebrating again….

Until the ship shook violently.

"Penny!" Jaune asked.

" _The warp engines are working fine… Something is diverting our course and pulling us… faster than supposed_." The med bay door opened and they rushed towards their stations. Once in the bridge Ren started analyzing the data.

"There is a disturbance on the slipstream we are riding." He informed and Jaune cursed openly for a bit.

"Can we escape it?"

"We are being forced to w _arp out._ " Penny informed. As soon as they warped, she showed on the screen a yellow star. The star looked very alike their own so they were helpful they did it. " _Defining our position, but… I don't think we are in our home system anymore, captain._ "


	26. Trading Favors

"So, where are we?" Jaune asked as they all finally calmed down.

" _According to the star positions, we are here…_ " Penny showed in the screen their relative position in the sector. They were close to the Mapped Sector, and closer to their home system at least, even if still far away. " _… I detect nine planets orbiting that star."_

"At least it means we might as well find some Dust deposits and resupply, so the situation isn't as doom and gloom yet. Move us to the closest planet, Neptune. Ren, get Nora and start fixing whatever you can of the ship since we probably will stay here for some time, especially weaponry now." Ren nodded and Jaune hit the intercom button. "Captain speaking, we were detoured from our route by unknown means. Luckily we arrived in a star system with planets, so we might be able to fix this mess. Please stay calm and return to your routine duties."

"Sir, shouldn't we be worried with how we ended here?" Glynda asked and Jaune nodded.

"You take a look at that with Velvet and Penny, Commander. But our priority is resupplying and going back home." Jaune said and the blonde woman nodded in agreement.

…

"This is getting ridiculous!" Weiss yelled as she walked side to side in their quarters while Blake tried to read and ignore the heiress. "It is like the whole universe just want to make us unable to go back home!"

"At least we are not in the middle of nowhere. We find some Dust, fill the tank and go back." Blake stated calmly.

"And since when anything goes our way in this ship?" Weiss screeched and then sat on her bed defeated. "I just… I just want to go to that planet we found, you know? Build a nice little house away from my family, start a life where the Schnee name is one people respect not because of the power we hold but the good we do…"

"Weiss?" Blake dropped her scroll and sat by her friend's side, hugging her gently, surprised those were the dreams the heiress had. "I want to fix my mistakes, you know. I want to make sure the Faunus have their place and the rights that for so long we were denied, but this time, I want to do it the right way. No more violence, no more death."

"Awww, how cute! You two are bonding!" Yang snickered from her bunker, surprised no one noticed her before. Blake tried to straighten up but Weiss hugged her tighter.

"How dare you ruin this moment!" Weiss yelled and Yang laughed while Blake blushed.

"Sorry, sorry, my bad. But since we are planning the future, I want to keep traveling if possible, because I never had so much excitement than in this trip. But only if I can do it with blonde, handsome and captain." She said with a wink.

"Do you even like him? Sometimes I think all you do is teasing him." Weiss inquired and Yang got a serious face on.

"I love him." She stated so seriously that Weiss and Blake had to do a double take. "I love him! Sure at first it was just teasing him, but damn it he got so cute when teased! Then he just had to be there for me when I needed, respect me all this time as a person, not a prize and laugh at my jokes! I want to get him on dates, to the beach, and marry and have children!"

"OK, I never expected to walk into this." Ruby said as she exited the bathroom and sat with the rest of the girls. "You should tell the skipper before Pyrrha or Velvet do."

"Not now, I don't think he needs the drama of a relationship with us trying to go back home." Yang said while playing with her hair.

"That is actually nice of you. I am sure the skipper considers you special." Blake said and Yang face brightened a little.

"Well, I have my plans all laid up. I will be General!"Ruby simple stated and the girls stared at her and then started laughing. "What? I am serious!"

"First, Generals don't go into battles, they do more paperwork than anything else. Second, I can't even imagine you walking around in the uniform." Weiss confused and Ruby pouted while they laughed.

…

"Gosh, I sure can use the longest vacation ever when we finish this mission." Doc said as she examined the cocoon Neo made for herself. It was a translucent construct and the alien girl slept peacefully inside. Velvet and Pyrrha were the ones doing guard duty that moment.

"Me on the other hand… I don't want to see this mission ending so soon and our superiors deciding we should do promotional material instead of a soldier's job." Pyrrha said a little dejected.

"Or maybe you just don't want to go away from a certain blonde?" Shen said playfully, but Pyrrha blushed redder than her hair.

"I…but… yes…" She finally confessed, and Velvet stared at her in surprise. "He gave me everything I always wanted. Purpose and true friends. I am thankful towards him, but also… I can't stop thinking how painful it is the notion of not having him by my side everyday…"

"You know he would not become a stranger to any of us. And who knows, maybe he will keep the _Nagato_ and we could still be his crew?" Velvet said hopefully. She also didn't want to let the boy go away from her. Pyrrha gave the bunny girl a knowing look but smiled. She wondered what Jaune would do if he actually knew there were some girls in love with him.

"Oh, I can't wait for this mission to end and see Jauney panicking over the lovely girls he knows that they love him." Doc said with an evil grin and the two girls paled for a moment. "Oops. I shouldn't have said that…"

…

"Beach house, great lounge, a bar, bitching sound system and lighting for parties." Neptune stated as he planned his future 'house on the planet' when they concluded his mission.

"Add a barbecue grill and we are set." Sun completed and the two fist bumped. Coco just rolled her eyes.

"You two will never change. Me on the other hand? I will have my own store and design clothes. Or maybe become a hitwoman. A stylish one." The gunner said proudly of her carrier choices. Glynda sighed, not amused. "How about you, Commander? Going to stay in the Spacy?"

"Actually, yes, but maybe as an instructor instead of a field officer. Looking at you all make me think someone need to avoid future officers to be so… reckless."

"Reckless saved our bacon a few times." Sun commented and Glynda was about to retort, but shut up as that was true.

" _Commander, we are being hailed_." Penny informed, breaking the mood on the bridge.

"Inform the captain and pass them trough." Glynda ordered, and an image formed on the main screen.

It wasn't what she expected.

…

"Ship, damaged, we, help."

On the screen was something that could be better described as aqua colored jell-o with three colored orbs inside that lighted in many colors as the small alien creature spoke. Jaune wasn't sure the proper way to react and was glad his sisters were not there to call the creature cute, especially when their name sounded like Moe (said as the English name, not as the Japanese word for cute).

"You are offering to help repair or ship?" Jaune questioned, still having trouble to accept he was speaking with jell-o.

"Yes."

"We are grateful for your offer to help, but we don't have anything of value to offer as payment…" Jaune said still weary of the sudden friendly offer.

"Help you, help us. Ship, tow." Jaune took a moment to decipher the simple way the aliens spoke.

"So, an exchange of favors and you will tow our ship?"

"Yes."

"Very well, we will meet you and discuss what favors exactly we are talking about, if that seems reasonable to you." Jaune decided, considering they weren't exactly in any position to deny help or even to defend themselves.

"Reasonable. Soon, meeting." With that the call ended, and Jaune sat on his chair thinking what kind of favor those creatures could even need them to do when they were at their mercy.

"Sir, do you think it is wise?" Glynda asked and Jaune shrugged.

"Wise? No. But what can we do? If they wished to kill us or to capture us they could as we have no way to defend ourselves. I don't see the reason to deceive us to lower our guard. So it is at least something of a good sign. The thing is I don't see any other options for us except try to get their help."

"You have a point. And we all can do with more friends right now." She accepted and left a defeated sigh. Jaune patted her shoulder and smiled.

"My father says friends come from unlikely places many times. Maybe this is it."

…

"There they are." Neptune said as a tubular vessel approached the _Nagato_.

The alien vessel used a tractor beam to hook them and started to tow the ship towards the sixth planet on the system. They were impressed with the fact the alien ship, despite being smaller, was having no trouble towing the _Nagato_ , and was in fact moving at least ten times faster than what they could even with the ship in top condition.

Soon they saw the blue and purple sixth planet on the system, and the towing ship passed inside a ring-like station, that lit up in white, probably scanning the damaged ship. After passing through it they saw a donut-shaped space station, several times bigger than the Nagato.

"They are hailing us… sending us docking instructions." Velvet informed and Jaune nodded. "They say they prepared a guest room and are inviting us for a meal."

"Well, why not? Neptune, get us docked. Velvet, inform our hosts we will need a few hours to prepare. Penny, inform the crew everyone is invited, and to use formal uniform. We want to cause a good impression after all." Jaune said with a relaxed smirk. When a problem has no solution, there is no problem, he thought to himself.

"Sir, I should inform it is a complete regulation break to get the whole crew out of the ship like this." Glynda said and Jaune shrugged again, making her sigh. "Why I even try?"

"You do because you are a brilliant and dedicated Spacy officer who cares about the crew. As I see it, we have nothing to lose here." He comforted her and she looked at his eyes and smiled.

"So why am I not the captain here?" she said playfully and Jaune smirked.

"Because people back home is insane." They shared a brief laugh and got to their quarters to prepare for the meeting.

…

"You really need to know how to fix your tie, captain." Glynda said as she did it for him. Jaune just smiled sheepishly.

"The same goes for you, lil sis." Yang said as she helped with Ruby's formal attire.

"I hate heels, tight skirts, and especially the tiny hat!" The Marine protested as they all stood in the corridor that gave access to the portside airlock.

"I wouldn't mind wearing it all times." Weiss affirmed with a proud smile as she stood elegantly in her own uniform.

"You do know how to rock it. Just like me." Neptune said with a bright smile.

"I am with Ruby on this one. It is tight on my tail." Sun complained, his uniform was a complete mess.

"OK, everyone, we hope we can give a good first impression to them, so behave." Jaune said as Glynda finished fixing his attire.

The airlock door was opened and they found themselves in a circular room with a low circular table in the middle but no benches or chairs. On the walls there were monitors that showed the outside of the station and the planet below. Beneath them was a large step covered in white mattresses. From the other side of the room a door opened and first came a trio of robots with trays of food, surprisingly recognizable to the _Nagato's_ crew, and they left the meal on the table. A fourth robot came and put fourteen plates and cutlery, cups and other accessories. It was only after they left that came Moe with other two similar looking creatures, only their bodies had different colors.

"Welcome. Pleased, meet, you. Moe, leader. Larry, second, Curly, engineer." The blob said in his unusual speak pattern. Jaune wondered if they were messing with him, but put his best poker face.

"Pleased to meet you, Moe. I am Captain Jaune Arc of the _Nagato_. We want to thank you for your assistance." Jaune said unsure how to exactly greet the creature.

"Pleasure, ours. We, silicon based, you carbon. Food, carbon, we, not eats with." He explained and Jaune understood they wouldn't be there to share the meal. "Proof, intent, good will. Present!"

Curly moved and Jaune noticed a small box attached to its back. The creature put it on the ground and opening it, revealing inside four rainbow Dust crystals in the exact size and shape they needed for Penny's mobile unit and their warp engines. Not only that, if those aliens helped them, they could use the remaining crystals to make new ships back home.

"We are thankful for this gift, Moe. How we can thank you for your generosity?" Jaune said as Glynda took the crystals' box.

"Not now. Eat, rest. Help, later. We, analyzing, _Nagato_. Once done, help us." Moe stated and Jaune finally relaxed and smiled. It seemed that they were having luck that day.

"We will do. Thanks for your generosity, Moe." The small creature seemed to smile, somehow, as the three small 'lights' inside blinked rosy.

"Excuse us. Relax, enjoy, meet later." With that the three aliens left, and the crew relaxed.

"Can we eat this?" Sun asked as his mouth watered as the nice smell of the food filled the room.

"Doc, scan it discreetly." Jaune whispered to Shen and she did as ordered.

"Safe for consumption. I am impressed a silicon-based life form has carbon-based food." She wondered as they all started to seat around the table and started poking the food. Except Nora and Ruby, the two were already gouging themselves.

"Who cares! This delichious!" Nora stated with her mouth full.

"Maybe they receive many visitors that are carbon life forms. Maybe the mysterious event that brought us here is kind of a recurring thing, like many books described our planet had such common wrecking spots." Ren theorized. Jaune agreed as he started serving himself with the food.

"Well, let's not waste their hospitality. Ren, go put one of those crystals on Penny's mobile unit. I want her here with us, since she is part of the crew." Jaune said and Ren took the crystals and returned to the _Nagato_.

Ren came back a few minutes after, stating it would take a few hours for Penny to join them as she was synching her two cores. They all relaxed and ate, while joking and enjoying the merry mood they got themselves into. When the android came back there were many hugs and tears that made the artificial girl happy and cry a little over the love her friends showed her. For a moment they forgot their problems, and when sleep took them over, they slept soundly as they haven't for a long while.

…

"Penny?" Jaune asked as he woke up first, well, second if you think of the android, but she had no need for sleep. He found her watching one of the monitors that showed the damaged _Nagato_. It was a sad scene as that was the only home she knew.

"Good morning, captain. I want to say I am thankful for you restoring my body." She said with a smile, and he hugged her gentle, surprising the girl. "Jaune?"

"We are here thanks to you, Penny. You are our dear friend." She smiled and hugged him back for a moment, but then she moved away from him and stared at the monitors.

"Sir, I am detecting unknown objects in trajectory towards the planet. Primitive spacecrafts, rocket propelled. But they carry fissionable materials. Origin: fifth planet." She stated and Jaune looked at the monitors. He couldn't see anything.

"Any danger to us?" He asked and Penny shook her head.

"No sir. Impact will be in fifteen minutes."

When the rockets hit the planet, everyone was awake, and saw the three explosions over the sixth planet's seas, causing huge clouds after the explosion. A few minutes later Larry, Curly and Moe entered the room with, if they could say, sad expressions. A few robots came after them to clean the table.

"Moe, what happened?" Jaune asked and the alien shook his body.

"Fifth planet, hate us. Send bombs, slowly poison. Missed cities, not always." Moe explained, them one of the screens showed a crab like humanoid creature in military like uniform discoursing to a huge crowd. "Higo, sixth planet leader. Blame us."

"For what exactly?" Jaune asked.

It took a while for them to explain exactly what was happening. But the story they got was that the fifth planet was recently hit by a meteor that caused an ecological disaster, affecting their food supply. The planet then suffered a coup, and that Higo guy become its dictator, but instead of solving the problems they were facing, he diverted the attention of its people towards the sixth planet, blaming Moe and his people for the meteor and declaring a one-sided war. Since they lacked the technology, they were sending atomic bombs from now and then.

"We, peaceful, we, no weapons. They, hateful, they, killing us." Moe finished, and a little bit of anger could be felt in his voice. "You, soldiers, help us!"

"How you want us to help?" Jaune asked, feeling sympathy towards the little guys.

"We, made this." The image changed to what Jaune recognized as some type of virus. He already didn't like it and what that could imply.

"We, peaceful, don't kill. You, soldiers. Deliver virus. Silicon base, no risk, carbon based. Kill them all, we peaceful again." Moe stated dryly, and Jaune stared wide eyed at the small creature. They wanted them to deliver a biological weapon and wipe the sentient population of the fifth planet.

"Moe, we are grateful for your help, but what you are asking of us is genocide…"

"They, killing us, slowly. You, kill them fast, we peaceful, fix ship." Moe said, and Jaune and the crew were too shocked to answer. "You, think. But no kill no ship. Kill, fix ship, provides Dust."

With that the three aliens left, and Jaune sat on one of the beds and just stared at his feet. The condition to save his own people was to end the existence of an entire alien race on purpose, and the one tasked with pulling the trigger was him.

…

"I analyzed all the radio signals coming from the fifth planet, and what Moe told us is truth. That Higo guy is using them as escape goats for the problems they are suffering now. I also confirmed a recent collision of a meteor on the planet, causing a dust cloud lowering the temperatures and other events that can be compared to an extinction event." Velvet affirmed in the now crowded bridge of the _Nagato_ as everyone, even Zwei was there.

"The atomic explosions aren't big enough for now, but its constant attacks might as well have long lasting and devastating effects on Moe's planet. And that if that crazy guy Higo doesn't create a bigger, more devastating bomb." Nora added.

"So, can't we just get hid of Higo? It seems like he is the one that is rallying people up to arms." Sun commented.

"While dictators like to paint themselves as absolute leaders, they are always backed up by something, usually military power. Killing Higo could just get a worse person to assume the position." Shen said and they knew from their own recent story that to be true.

The Remnant colonies once suffered a coupe, and the new leader ruled by a few years before being assassinated. After that, his successor assumed with even a more heavy fisted way of ruling, to the point of attacking culture itself as a threat to the colonies, and forbidding things like music, books and even colors. It took decades to get rid of him and avoid a new dictatorship.

"So, do we follow with Moe's request? I mean, sure they are threatened, but I bet there is lots of people on Higo's planet that dislike the guy, and that is not even taking in account the children." Neptune said and there was a moment of silence.

"Sorry, but… We are thinking here about Moe and Higo's people, but how about ours? Our people is dying back home, and if we get our ship fixed, we can save them all." Blake put her two cents in. Ruby didn't like it.

"Then that is how we save them? By killing innocent people because of one bad guy?"

"Do we have other options?" Blake retorted, and Velvet put a planet on screen. It had blue oceans but no continents, just several islands making it spotted with brown and green.

"Fourth planet in this system. Analysis says it might be able to sustain us. With so many of our sensors damaged, I can't say much for now, but if it do, maybe we could just stay there until we find some Dust to warp back home." Velvet said hopefully.

"That won't do. We have only a month worth of Dust and food. Even if the planet provide us with food, our capacity of exploring it, finding some Dust ore, refining it and going back home will be severely held back. And that is if we believe Moe and his people will allow us to do that." Blake retorted. "Look, I will do it if we need to. I already… have blood on my hands…"

"Oh, no you won't! If needed to be I will do it!" Weiss shouted causing everyone to look at her surprised. "My family did many horrible things already with the excuse of 'helping Remnant', and this time this can really save it!"

A small discussion started, with part of the crew completely against it, other part for it and other trying to find alternative solutions. Jaune remained silently for most of the time while petting Zwei, deep in thought.

"Enough!" he shouted, making everyone shut up and stare at him. "This is not a decision for any of you to make, although I appreciate your input. The survival of our people indeed is important, but what is being asked of us is trading our survival for theirs. It is not a decision to be made with a hot head, or to be taken lightly. I will not ask for any of you to do it or not, so none of you need to worry about it. I will take my time, and inform you all of my decision when I have one."

"Captain…" Some voiced their concerns.

"You all resume your daily routine. I will be in the sky deck thinking." Jaune concluded, taking Zwei with him and leaving the bridge.

…

"Jaune?" Velvet's ears appeared first, then just her chocolate eyes as she watched Jaune playing with the robotic dog. While she knew he asked to be alone, she was too worried about him to do so. He turned towards her and waved for her to approach, and so she did.

"Let me guess, everyone is worried."

"How couldn't they not be? Jaune… I doomed an entire moon full of living beings once…"

"Not on purpose, it wasn't your fault." He said and she nodded.

"I know now, but I still feel guilty over it. Jaune, I am worried about how you will be if you do as Moe is asking." He understood her concerns and sighed loudly. So many hard decisions and that certainly felt the biggest one. He hugged Velvet gentle and she blushed, but hugged back.

"It is a power no one should have, you know? Deciding the life and death of so many people like this." He commented and she nodded on his chest.

"But you are smart, you will find a way." She said in a comforting tone and he sighed on her head.

"You put too much faith in me, Vel. But you know what is maddening? The fact that we are being forced on this because Moe and their people don't want to dirty their metaphorical hands! They have better tech than us but want us to do it! They could send the virus in a missile! They could create satellites to down the rockets before reaching the planet! They could…" Jaune stopped talking when an epiphany crossed his head. Velvet looked up worried about him, but he looked down and smiled. "That is it!"

"What is it?" she asked and then Jaune simple kissed her gentle on the lips, making her blush and fume.

"Thanks Vel. I might have figured something out! Penny, call Moe and tell him I want a meeting. I want my armor ready and a fireteam too." With that he left, leaving behind a certain bunny girl too shocked to react.

…

"Decision?" Moe asked when he entered the room they met before, where Jaune, Pyrrha and fireteam RWBY stood fully armored and armed.

"Not really, but questions. Why are you asking us to do this? With your technology and resources you don't need us, at all. Even if you say it is because you are peaceful, you could have dealt with this situation in a non-lethal way. So, why ask us to do this? What is the real reason?" Jaune asked, but Moe stood there, without showing any reaction. That is when they heard a weird laugh filling the room. The door opened again and a new alien entered.

It was as tall as them, but it was avian in appearance, with a head similar to a crow's one, and it even had a yellow beak. It wore a grey and black space suit and had grey feathers on his head. It stood by Moe's side and stared at the group, all of them pointing weapons at him.

"So they were right, you passed the last test, the first person to ever do it." The new alien said in a playful and amused tone. "You see, you are not the first to arrive here in such dare situation. And not the first to be asked to deliver the 'virus'. But you are the first to not let despair dictate your mind."

"Who the fuck are you?" Jaune asked in surprise.

"Oh, sorry, my manners are a bit rusty. I am Qrow. I am actually the owner of this station. Moe and his friends aren't actual silicon life forms, but robots. And in fact there are no life forms in the fifth planet; it is all fake transmissions your ship couldn't get due to the damage to your sensors. Though the fourth planet is indeed compatible with your species." Qrow said in an amicable tone.

"Why this deception then?" Jaune inquired with gun still pointed at Qrow.

"A test, as I said. See, most people we met would not even hesitate in causing genocide to save themselves. Others would doom themselves because their morals wouldn't allow them to even consider any other options. But you… You took the need of your people and your morals in consideration, and thanks to that you noticed the deception. Ah, joy, after all this time we found you. I will start repairing your ship right away, no, better yet, I will upgrade it! Oh, all the cool stuff I will add!" Qrow started babbling, making the rest of them stare at each other in shock.

"What the hell are you talking about? Who are you and what this is all about?" Jaune asked and Qrow laughed again.

"Moe! Get everyone. We have work to do. Also, take our guests to the twins. They want to talk with this funny fellow again."

Jaune had no time to talk as hundreds of Moe like drones appeared from the door and rushed inside the Nagato. The drones captured their guns and basically glued themselves around them. A few minutes later they gathered all the crew members including Penny and Zwei and brought them to the room. Suffice to say a few of them, especially Glynda and Weiss, weren't pleased.

"Excuse me for the rude way I am doing this. Your ship will be as new in a few mega-cycles. But my benefactors really want to talk with you." Qrow said and the Moe-like drones freed them and disappeared towards the _Nagato_. "Now, let's do a little trip."

The doors closed and the screens turned off. They felt the room warping into subspace, but instead of traveling, they heard something connecting to the room. The door behind Qrow opened and he signalized to be followed. Jaune consented and followed with his crew behind him. The place they found themselves was not what they expected.

They were clear inside some type of tubular space colony, but different from theirs that were filled with buildings, this one had grass, woods, even lakes and were several times bigger than the biggest colony in Remnant. Butterflies and birds flew around, and there was even a breeze gently greeting them.

But to Jaune the biggest surprise were the twin girls standing there to receive them.

"You came, so we finally can have that date you promised us." Miltiades stated with a curtsy.

"You proved worth of our friendship once again, Jaune. And therefore we will help you." Melanie said with a real, sweet smile. Miltiades spoke again with an eerie tone.

"We will tell you a truth no one else knows. We will tell you the origin of the creatures of Grimm."


	27. Beach Day

"Ten thousands of your years ago, we lived in a planet closer to the center of the galaxy. We were a thriving society, with science at its core. One day, our scientists discovered something unusual as we started exploring the stars ourselves. Life, but not any we knew about, life made of black matter inside the subspace."

"It fascinated our people, and we spent centuries studying it until one day we did a discover that would doom our people and the galaxy. We discovered that those black matter life forms could absorb normal life forms and become similar to them, but violent, deadly creatures attracted to the negative emotions of people. We called them Devourers."

"But instead of abandoning them we kept studying it, and another dark discover was made, one that shouldn't be. It was discovered that we could convert the hybrid creatures into an elixir that would defy the one thing all living creatures are made equal: death. The black elixir would stop aging, prolonging our life spam eternally. As long as we had Devourers to turn into black elixir."

"Our Queen ordered the use of it in our brightest minds and herself, and what was supposed to usher a new age of prosperity and enlightening, transformed into a life of nihilism and hedonism. The fear of death drove us to send the Devourers in dark spores to other planets with living, sentient beings, so they could feast on their negativity thoughts and bodies. And once the planet's life ended, we would reap the Devourer's essence so to have the black elixir and so they could prolong our lives."

"But life became stagnant, devoid of purpose and fascination, yet fear of death drove the Queen and our people to keep destroying. They convinced themselves that their existence was complete and got stagnant. So, we seceded from them, refused the black elixir, but the Queen vowed to destroy those who 'betrayed' her. We hid here, in the subspace, where time flows differently from normal space and we waited."

"We can't fight back against the Queen as she holds power over us. Her orders are still absolute to our people, and a single word of her mouth will end our life. So we waited the day we would find someone that we could offer assistance, someone who would take our gifts and use them towards good. For too long all we found were people that would become as evil and distorted as our Queen, but you passed the final test."

"You showed kindness and compassion when no one would. You were confronted with hard, harsh choices with no apparent right answer and yet your choices were moved both from your desire to help your people and compassion to those in need. Therefore, we offer you our friendship and allegiance, Captain Jaune Arc of the _Nagato_." Miltiades finished speaking with Melanie. Jaune just stood there in silence, too shocked to answer.

"And what you ask of us in exchange?" Glynda spoke first, and the twins smiled.

"We don't offer our help expecting something in exchange, because your confrontation with our Queen will be unavoidable. She knows of your existence already." Melanie said and with a movement of her hand the mysterious saucer appeared in a holographic projection. "This is her vessel."

"Wait, she attacked the pirates and us? Why?" Coco questioned as she removed her sunglasses, thinking she might as well be seeing things. Miltiades raised her hand and showed the Grimm spore they tried to destroy.

"She fears you. You are the first species able to travel between stars to see how the Grimm arrives from place to place. This knowledge would make you able to stop them before they could attack. That is why she chooses underdeveloped planets first. But those are more and more rare. We don't know what she plans to do, but whatever it is, she can't allow this knowledge to exist." Miltiades explained.

"Look, I have know those girls for some long time and I can attest you all they are sincere. They can't leave this subspace realm they created for their people because otherwise this Queen would find them. That is how we met. I found the wreckage of an exploratory ship they made some twenty giga-cycles ago. If they return to normal space, the Queen will know. It is some type of telepathic link." Qrow explained.

"If it is not to ask us for help, why the tests? Why even helping us?" Weiss questioned and Qrow laughed.

"Before meeting those girls, I was a weapon's dealer. Selling guns to both sides in any war and making profit. Here is the fun thing, you learn a lot about people selling them death bringers." Qrow explained. "The poor noble underdog becomes a bloodthirsty conqueror if you give them weapons powerful enough to be on top. So, you see why we just don't go giving tech to anyone we cross with, or else everyone would be fighting to rule the galaxy."

"But we confess our interest is not as noble and selfless as they sound. One day the Queen will cast her eyes on you. Confrontation with her is unavoidable as she will not risk losing the source of her immortality. We believe when that day comes, you will have a chance to defeat her and we could return to the world of the living again, instead of hiding forever here." Miltiades finished the explanation.

"We know it is too much for you to think about. But as we speak, Qrow is repairing and modernizing your ship, so when the day comes, you will be able to fight the Queen." Melanie said, and then her and her sister grabbed a still shocked Jaune by his arms. "Now, you promised to treat us next time we met."

"What?! When?!" Velvet, Pyrrha and Yang shouted together before rushing to follow them.

"I love you all." Qrow said as he laughed once again.

…

"A beach party?" Was the universal answer when Jaune said he was planning to do one in the fourth planet.

"According to them the fourth planet in the system we were in is fit for our species, and isn't inhabited. We have being in a lot of stress recently, and I would like us all to get some… vacation time?" Jaune justified as they were having tea with the twins and Qrow.

"There will be fish?" Blake asked and Jaune nodded. "I am in."

"Oh, the chance to show the skipper me in a swimsuit? I am so in!" Yang said winked at Jaune, who blushed madly and hid it with a sip on his tea.

"Sun, my brother, barbecue, music, maybe some alcohol if we are lucky!"

"Neptune, I was in when they said beach." Sun answered with a smile as he used his tail to grab more fruit.

"I think someone needs to stay at the ship to supervise the repairs." Ren said for some reason.

"No no no! Renny, you are going to the beach with us!" Nora said in a threatening tone unfitting to her usual persona.

"I will do it. I am too old for a swimsuit anyway." Glynda stated with a sip of tea.

"Nonsense. You have a great body, Glyn." Jaune said absented mind before realizing what he said. "GAH!"

"Captain, please stop flirting with me. I don't want to have more troubles than I already have." The commander answered with a smirk and three girls watched him with jealousy and anger in their eyes.

"You all are going. I am an artist and I don't want any of you peeking in my work before completion." Qrow said with his usual laugh.

…

The beach they chose was in a crescent moon shaped island, and hat crystal clear calm waters with soft white sand surrounding it. Sun, Neptune, Jaune, Nora and Ren were busy putting a tent up and setting a barbecue grill they got with Qrow. They were wearing tight shorts because it was the standard ones provided by the military. Glynda meanwhile was having a stern talk with some of the girls. Yang made sure to transform the one piece standard swimsuit in a bikini, as revealing as possible, and in the end Shen, Pyrrha, Coco and Velvet did the same. Blake found a rock under the shade of a tree and was already fishing with equipment provided by Qrow. Ruby and Weiss were with Penny in the water trying to teach the android how to swim.

They were interrupted when a transport bullhead appeared and landed on the sand close by.

"Hey, everyone. She woke up and I decided I didn't want her there too." Qrow said as he opened the door and Neo appeared. She rushed and hugged Jaune tightly. "Uh, so you are the one she imprinted with."

"Imprinted?" Jaune asked as Neo kept hugging him.

"Oh yeah, she is a Politan. Her species was artificially created to be servants, and they even copy parts of the genetic code of the owners she imprint with to be able to survive the same environments." Qrow explained. Yang and Pyrrha pushed her off Jaune. She looked at him and smiled.

"So she is Jaune's… servant from now on?" Coco asked with a playful smirk as she lowered her sunglasses.

"Oh, nononono. Neo, you are not my servant. You can do as you wish; you don't need to do anything you don't want to." The alien girl answered by hugging him again. Qrow left a laugh at the scene.

"Politans create an empathic link with their masters, so she shares the same basic personality and moral traits you have. Oh, and she can't speak, so the link help to provide insight in what she want to convey." Qrow informed them, and Jaune petted Neo's head, making the small alien girl smile at him happily.

"Are you basically saying if the master is an asshole she will be one too, but if it is a decent guy like the skipper she will be a sweet girl?" Sun summarized.

"You got it. Now I have to go and keep an eye on Moe, Curly and Larry. They are not the brightest drones ever made." Qrow closed the door of the transport and returned to work on the _Nagato_. Jaune sighed and watched Neo smiling at him. It remembered him of his sisters, so we couldn't just drive her away.

"OK, Neo, we will be friends, not master and servant. You are not to do anything you don't want to." Neo nodded and smiled. "Now, why don't you go introduce yourself to the others and play? Though we do need to provide you a swimsuit."

"She can't use one of Rubes or Weiss since she is not as plain…" Yang started with a smirk.

"WE ARE NOT PLAIN!" The two girls yelled.

"Oh, she can use mine! We just adapt it to a bikini!" Nora said as she jumped around.

"VICTORY!" They all looked at the back as Blake jumped around with a big blue and silver fish on her hands.

…

Night came maybe too fast to some of them, especially Ruby, Nora, Sun and Dr. Verd (that now sported a healthy tan, as did Pyrrha. Nora and Ren though were red as shrimps and couldn't be touched). Now they all sat in a circle while Jaune played the guitar. Sun and Coco handled the grill where they were preparing the fishes Blake caught, the cat girl hovering them with her plate in hand. Neptune was flirting with Doc, and the wolf Faunus woman was playfully answering to them. Glynda entertained herself with a book on her scroll while Yang, Velvet and Pyrrha tried to compete for Jaune's attention. Nora and Ren helped to apply soothing cream on each other (they were really red).

"Captain, I think something is wrong with Cpt. Rose…" Penny called and they saw a tipsy Ruby being held by Weiss and Neo. The girl had a cup on her hand.

"I am fiiiiineeee…" Ruby said and hugged the android girl. "You are the beeessst!"

"She took one small cup of this beverage Qrow sent us and got like this." Weiss explained. Yang approached and smelled it.

"Oh, she is drunk." The blonde explained. "She was always weak with her drinks."

"I can't be drunnnk… It ish chocolate miiiilk." Ruby answered with a hiccup. Yang grabbed the bottle and looked at the light brown liquid.

"Well, it does look like chocolate milk." She sipped a little. "And it does taste like it too."

"Of course that would happen. Damn it Qrow. No one drinks anything without checking if it is alcohol or not."

"GAH! Nora!" Ren yelled as Nora was hugging him and giggling. By her side was a bottle.

"Renny, Renny, Renny… Do you know captains can marry people? So how about we *hic* do it?" Nora slurred as she hugged Ren, something really painful with his sunburn.

"I will marry yooouuuu! I, am a captain!" Ruby celebrated as she stumbled towards them.

"You are not even a ship's captain!" Weiss protested as she rushed towards them to support Ruby.

"I will marry them." Jaune said with an evil smirk. Glynda arched an eyebrow.

"Sir, we both know ship captains actually can't marry people. It is an urban legend." Glynda commented but Jaune smirked again.

"I know, you know, they don't." Yang smirked together with Jaune and giggled a little.

"I knew you had an evil side. OK EVERYONE! LET'S MARRY THOSE TWO!"

"JAUNE! I THOUGHT WE WERE BROTHERS!" Ren yelled as they were improvising a bride's dress for Nora and a suit for him.

"Oh, come on Ren! Nora is quite the catch!" Jaune said back with an evil smug.

"Thank yooou!" Nora answered as they put a white clothe on her head.

…

Pyrrha watched as the sun rose once again. She never expected to see a scene like that in her lifetime. At least, not when everything was so peaceful. She barely could believe she was able to enjoy a day at the beach like that, something that just happened in old movies, yet she did, and now she was about to return home to tell everyone that they could one day do the same, and that brought tears to her eyes.

"Pyr?" She looked to see a concerned Jaune sitting by her side and put an arm on her shoulders. She leant on him and left the tears flows freely.

"This is so beautiful but…" She started and he hugged her tight.

"You are thinking what I am thinking." He said and she nodded. "So stop. At least until we go back to the _Nagato_ , we are not wasting time thinking. We are going to swim, eat, play, annoy the Commander and enjoy everyone's presence this week. Then and only then we will worry. And this is an order, Major."

"Aye aye, skipper." She answered as she dried her tears with the back of her hand.

…

"AHAHAHAHAHA! I am queen of the castle; I am queen of the castle!" Nora sung as she was atop the hugest sand castle ever built. She got help of Ruby, Penny and surprisingly Weiss to create that. Ren watched from below.

"Nora, be careful! Sand is not the most appropriate building material!"

"Don't worry hubby, it is made with the power of love! And Penny's precise calculations." Nora answered with a smirk.

"We used the best proportion of water and sand and reinforced it with seaweed." Penny sadly as she proudly put a 'flag' on top, someone's bikini top.

"And Nora, haven't I told you we are NOT married. You was drunk, you could not consent!" Ren tried to argue put Nora just rolled her eyes.

"You can't prove it in the court of the law."

"I have witnesses!" He shouted.

"I am pretty sure Nora was completely under control of her faculties at the time." Weiss said while checking her nails. Ren stared at her in shock.

"Come on, Ren, married life can't be bad. And it is Nora." Ruby chimed in.

"Now that you two have a house, does it mean you will have children?" Penny asked in an innocent way.

"YES!"

"NO!"

"I am confused."

…

"OK, Neo, let's create some ground rules. The skipper is mine…" Velvet coughed as Yang was lecturing the alien girl. "…ours, so you can be his friend, maybe even his little sister, but no making advances on him, understood."

"I am not sure she knows our language." Velvet commented as the alien girl stood there with her head lightly tilted.

"She better knows because there is already too much competition." Yang commented and Velvet nodded, then the bunny girl noticed the t-shirt she was wearing.

"Why are you wearing a t-shirt?"

"Oh, I couldn't find my top anywhere, so I got one of skipper's t-shirts. Smell like oranges." Yang grinned as Velvet blushed hard and started mumbling incoherently. "Anyway, Neo… are you even listening?"

Yang put her hand on Neo's shoulder and the illusion shattered in thousand pieces. The two girls looked around and saw the girl playing with Jaune on the water. When Neo noticed, she smirked and showed her tongue to them. The blonde girl eyes glowed red and she rushed over there with Velvet. As she entered the water, the t-shirt got transparent and Jaune fainted at the sight.

…

"Coco, are we really sure we want to do this?" Neptune asked as Coco prepared a spear with her combat knife and a stick.

"Yes, we will compete in fishing. The one who get more fish wins." The brunette answered with a smirk. Sun also finished preparing his own spear.

"Or you are too much of a nerd to try a real soldier's challenge?" The monkey Faunus said and Neptune glared at him.

"Intellectual! And I can beat you two! After all, I am Neptune, god of sea!" He said as he also finished his spear. They were about to enter the water when Blake emerged and carried a fish twice her size by its tail. The fish itself looked like he couldn't believe it.

"Hey guys. Do you think Jaune can prepare this one for lunch?" She asked as they all dropped their improvised lances.

…

"Ah, to be young again." Shen commented as she saw the crew creating as much havoc as possible. Glynda looked and gave a small smile.

"Were we like this when we were their age?" she wondered as she saw Velvet and Pyrrha fanning Jaune, Yang lecturing Neo (the blonde already retrieved her top/Nora's castle 'flag') and the alien girl just smirking at the blonde.

"Are you kidding me? We were way worse. Remember that time Tenryuu and us decided it would be funny to put itching powder in the space suits?"

"Yes, I remember the five hours long reprimand we received for 'endangering of fellow trainees'. At least they aren't endangering themselves." It was in that moment the gigantic sand castle Nora made fell over the younger crew members. "Oh for heaven's sake!"

…

"Hey, Penny, do you know what star is ours?" Ruby asked as the whole group was lying on the sand and watching the starry sky. It was already the seventh nigh spent on the planet.

"I am sorry, Ruby, but our star can't be seen from this hemisphere."

"Hey, Jaune, what do you think your sisters are doing right now?" Ruby turned to the blonde boy and he sighed.

"Knowing them, they are either trying to build their own starship, a FTL radio or leading a coup d'état." There as some laughing at the idea of the seven girls trampling the government.

"I would call that an improvement." Weiss said and they laughed loud now.

"Oh, a shooting star! Let's make a wish!" Nora said as a white light trail could be seem, but the light started maneuvering in their direction.

"I don't think it is a shooting star, Nora…" Ren said and they all got up. A few minutes later and Qrow's bullhead landed between the water and the sand.

"Heya, kids. We finished with your ship and I came to see if you want to go see it right away or if you want to extend your holiday." The crow-like alien said, his voice showing he was a little tired.

"Well, I am going; a captain shouldn't be away from his ship for so long. Penny, sorry but I would rather have you with me. The rest of you can stay here for the night if you want." Jaune stated, but Neo was already by his side.

"I think I am going to." Pyrrha said and soon everyone started packing up. Qrow left a laugh out but helped them to put everything on board.

…

"IT… doesn't look that different…" Nora stated in disappointment as the bullhead circled around the _Nagato_. It still looked the same dagger-shaped black ship with short wings ending in shield-like structures. Jaune thought notice the subtle differences.

"Are those canards at the front? And what are the bumps on the top? And you removed the MASERs?" He questioned and Qrow nodded.

"Ah, you noticed. Yes, yes. I didn't change much externally, since whoever designed your ship is a genius." Jaune smiled at that since it was their sisters, in part, that designed the ship. "Penny, show your new toys to your friends."

Penny contacted her second core and the ship entered in battle mode, showing the new three-barreled canons instead of the usual two. On the bow, the canards moved down to reveal the MASERs where now installed in the front, and could move to be aimed; not needing them to move the whole ship for that. The AA guns were now more numerous, and appeared to have bigger barrels too. Eight smaller canons appeared along the sides of the ship, and Coco and Sun eyes shone at the sight.

"We also installed extra missile ports, and who came up with those 'flares' thing? I swear I expected to never find stuff there I would be impressed except for Penny." Qrow said as the bullhead moved to enter the docks by the ship's stern.

"I am honored you think of me as impressive, Master Qrow. Mother said the secret is love." The android said with a big smile.

"Mother?" Qrow wondered for a second.

"My sisters projected Penny, and they are a bit… well, a lot crazy." Jaune admitted and Qrow nodded.

"I want to meet them one day. Ah, the things we can create together." Jaune trembled thinking about what type of doomsday device their sisters could create with Qrow.

The bullhead finally entered the dock and the first thing they noticed was that the place seemed roomier. Yet it had now three fighters docked on the ceiling, and the bullheads were four once again, stored on the sides. The Pumas were there, too, in the back, with the bullhead's many modules. The Hunters where stored now in two rolls, one in each side, but they couldn't see the workstations for maintenance now.

"WHERE IS MY STUFF?!" Nora yelled as they landed and get out of the bullhead, Jaune feeling the change in gravity making his stomach complain. Qrow made assign to penny and the several workstations came from the ground and walls. "AWWWW YEAH!"

"Most changes I made were internal; your ship was very inefficient in some ways, and surprisingly efficient in others. I maximized space usage, so you all got an increase of ten to fifteen percent on living and working space. But I will let you all discover those later. Let's go to the bridge where I will explain the best upgrades I did." Qrow said and the whole group moved towards the bridge. Ren had to pull Nora though, as she was jumping around examining the new workstations.

The bridge probably felt like entering in a complete different ship. It was twice as big as before, partly due to the fact it had two levels now, and its walls, ceiling and even the floor was now 3D displays showing the space outside. It was both a bit unnerving and impressive, and some of them felt like they could fall towards empty space like this. As they started sitting the images were overlaid with tactical holographic displays. Jaune sat in his chair, and noticed it was covered in a different material than usual.

"What you used for the seats?" The blonde captain asked as he felt the material.

"Real leather, only the best for you guys." Qrow explained and Jaune just nodded. "Now, let me talk about the other changes. First, your sensors were crap. How you could even find something out there with them is beyond me. You have more, better, diverse set of sensor arrays thanks to me. You can find a mouse in the grass from orbit now. Second change, your engines. They are quite good for a first attempt, but you can do better. Your ionic engines are now ten times faster, and you can use them on the subspace slipstream."

"I thought all we needed is find the right stream and let it take us whenever we go." Neptune said as he sat on the pilot's seat in the second level of the bridge and checked the terminal.

"Usually. Most people just do that. But with the new dual engines you can actually navigate the subspace. You can change your course from within if you feel like you forget something and want to take it back without warping out. Or you can just accelerate and get your trip 30% shorter." Qrow explained and Neptune smirked as he wanted to test that as soon as possible. "What reminds me, I installed warp drives on your fighters too."

"Really?" Jaune and Yang said at the same time with wild grins for different reasons.

"Yes, but those are for emergencies. They can't carry all the Dust for constant trips, just for one jump. So better create some emergency protocols for them. Oh yeah, about Dust, I increased the efficiency on Dust usage overall the ship in five percent, what tells a lot about how efficient you are on the use of it already. The warp engines had the biggest increase, they now need ten percent less dust to run, again a testament on how good they are for a first attempt. I also installed subspace cameras so you can actually see outside when there."

"Is there really anything to be seen? I thought subspace was just energy." Glynda commented for the first time.

"Oh, you all will be so surprised. Let me see what more I have to tell you… Oh yea, I installed a new subspace radio so you can talk from subspace to normal space and within subspace… Not that you will find many people to talk too when there. Improved your force fields too, so you can take more punches. Your recycling plant and food factory are surprisingly better than ours, so I just moved them a little here and there to use the space better. And that is all." Qrow finished, his eyes probably showing he would be smiling, but his hard beak couldn't display emotions.

"Thanks, Qrow, for everything. I wish I could thank Miltia and Mel too." Jaune spoke and the alien man laughed and pressed a button on the communications panel. Instead of the traditional two-dimensional image the twins appeared in a holographic full body projection.

"The blondie said he missed you girls." Qrow said teasingly. Jaune blushed a little while the twins laughed.

"I just wanted to thank you girls for everything you have done for us. We won't forget your kindness." The blonde said and the two twins smiled at him.

"The help we gave was not out of kindness, Cpt. Arc. It was a prize given to your own worth. Use it well and wisely." Melanie started.

"We wish this to not be our last meeting. We wish you luck, and give you one last warning. The Queen's mind is upon you. She fears your knowledge. She is searching for you." Miltiades finished and smiled gently. "Farewell, Jaune Arc."

The image disappeared and Jaune hold a troubled expression. He felt Neo's and Pyrrha's hands on his arms and tried to smile.

"Well, my work here is done. Time to pack up and move." Qrow said with a big flourish. "I put all the schematics of your new equipment on your data bank. I am sure Nora and Penny can fix whatever it is need. Your Dust tanks are filled, we also filled your food banks with organic matter, and I installed freezer storage for and with real food."

"If there is fish, it is mine, and I will murder you and your sleep if you take it." Blake threatened, generating some concerned looks at her.

"I think I will leave before someone decides they like poultry." Qrow said and laughed as he walked rather fast to the elevator.

…

The donut-shaped space station converted into a long tubular structure with its warp engines in the mid section, and left to its own warp point. Jaune stared at the crew spread over the bridge, checking everything out and sighed. He still needed to plan his next step and wasn't sure what to do. That was when Glynda rested her hand on his shoulder.

"One step at a time, Captain." She said and he sighed again and nodded.

"Very well… Attention everyone…" Jaune was ignored, so he rolled his eyes and activated the alarm. They stumble over each other before going silent. "Now that I have your attention, first orders of the day. I want everyone checking everything. For more thankful I am to Qrow and the twins, I don't want any surprise. Neptune, move us to the warp point, let's see what our remodeled ship can do."

"Shouldn't we rename the ship? After all it is a tradition to rename a ship if it receives a major overhaul." Sun commented and Jaune nodded. But he was already emotionally linked with the ship, so he wasn't unsure eager to change the _Nagato's_ name.

"I will think about it later. I will be on the sky deck if you need me." Jaune finished as he jumped off his chair.

"Which one?" Penny asked and Jaune stared at the android.

…

Qrow installed a second star deck on the back of the ship, and this one was larger and prepared to receive visits, including gravity flooring, like a big party room. He turned off the gravity as soon as he entered. Jaune observed the star system they were leaving, and smiled a little. Now they had two planets fit for colonization and all they needed was to return to Remnant and tell everyone.

But he never expected to be questioning if that was the right thing to do.

He stared at the now distant star with Zwei on his lap, the robotic dog apparently sleeping.

"You are thinking of not going back to Remnant." He turned around to see Weiss. He knew she was one of the crew that was most wishing to go back. And he thought to himself that he had no right to deny her that.

"Out there, there is a mad Queen throwing monsters at people because she wants to live forever. And apparently she wants us dead because we know her secret. If we go back to Remnant now, how long before she find us?" He wondered and Weiss floated to his side.

"Maybe days, maybe centuries. Maybe someone else will end her existence before she has the chance." Weiss wondered as she grabbed Zwei and petted him. "Going back to Remnant is our obligation."

"It is. Report to the command, start colonization plans."

"Then they will start building colony ships, we all get promoted and assigned new posts, the Council will classify the information about the Grimm so to not let the common people realize that at any moment our new home can be attacked, while creating defenses for the case of it happening that may or may not work. You said in your discourse once that we should plan for our children, not for us. I would rather know my children will grow up without the fear one day some alien species will kill them just because." Weiss stated and Jaune was quite surprised. "Don't give me this look. I am as much part of this crew as anyone else and I trust you."

"Thanks, Weiss. I still not know what to do, but thanks." She gave a rare smile towards him.

" _Hey, skipper, we are at the warp point._ " Neptune's voice came from the intercom.

"I have something to do before we go. Stay put until second orders." Jaune answered and he remembered he had something to do. "Nora, prepare my Hunter and some red paint. I know how we will call the ship from now on."

…

"Really? That is it?" Ruby said in a bit of a disappointed tone. Jaune, Nora and she were floating outside the ship as the two girls helped painting the ship's name in the hull.

"Simplicity is always the best way, Rubes. Besides, this is a Spacy tradition." Jaune justified.

"Spacy have some weird traditions. But I like it already." Ruby said a she took a second look.

"I especially like the flower!" Nora yelled over the radio.

The name was painted in red, and the last syllable of it was enveloped in the drawing of a flower. The new name for the upgraded FTLRSSS-7.

 _Nagato Kai._


	28. Strip Omake 4

"And the next question is: wet dreams, with whom and how..." Yang and everyone else removed a piece of cloth.

"How long before one of us get naked?" Weiss complained.

"There are fifteen questions and only seven pieces of cloth. And considering the fact we put the most shameless questions there, it become a game of what we would hate more: getting naked in front of everyone or have revealed our darkest secrets." Blake answered.

"I will go with getting naked is less awkward. At least the next question isn't something like 'what is your guilty pleasure?'" Weiss commented and Yang got the biggest shit eating grin she could. "I should know better than tempt fate. FINE! I like to indulge myself in cheeseburgers!"

"And you still keep your figure? I am impressed!" Coco commented and then proceeded to get a feel of Weiss.

"HEY!" The white haired girl slapped Coco's hands.

"That is actually nice, it means you are human. How about you Blakey?" The catgirl evaluated the situation and her own clothes. She sighed and decided to talk.

"I like cheap romance novels."

"You mean smut." Yang deadpanned.

"THOSE AREN'T SMUT!" The lie detector beeped, making Blake blush and shut up while Yang laughed her ass off and the rest suppressed their own laughing. "How about you, Yang?"

"Oh… I… I like the captain's smell… Oranges…" She admitted with a weirdly shy demeanor. Jaune also blushed slightly.

"Oh, so that is why you like to do laundry from time to time? To sniff the skipper's dirty, sweaty uniform?" Blake teased, and Yang blushed madly.

"You know everything about that, eh kitty?"

"I think we should move on…" Velvet asked as there was sparks between the cat and the brawler.

"Thanks for volunteering to go next, Vel." Coco teased, making the bunny gag and stutter. "Come on, it can't be that bad."

"I l-like to… I like… I LIKE TO BE PETTED!" She confessed and hid her face with her ears, immediately gaining pets from Coco.

"I knew it! And my guilty pleasure is petting you!" There was a lot of aws as Coco kept petting Velvet.

"How about you lil sis?"

"I like to play with other people's weapons. Don't tell Crescent Rose!" She yelled as she referred to her own weapon, causing everyone to laugh loudly at the innocent confession.

"How about you, cereal girl?" Yang asked the redhead. She sighed heavily before confessing.

"I love to wear the girliest clothes possible. I am always in uniform or training or competing, so the easiest way to convince me to pose for an ad was to make so I was in a dress." She said with pink cheeks.

"When we go back, I will provide you with the girliest clothes." Weiss said, receiving a thankful wink from Pyrrha.

"Nora?"

"Renny." No one questioned that answer.

"Ren?"

"Nora." He confessed and Nora jumped on him in a bone crushing hug.

"This explains so many things! So, how about you, Sun?"

"Hiding Neptune's lucky underwear."

"I knew it was you! Be prepared, my dear friend Sun, because I shall have revenge, and my revenge will be EVIL!" Neptune said in an overdramatic tone.

"Neptune, guilty pleasure?" Yang pressed the game to go on.

"Eating all the bananas to piss off Sun."

"YOU BASTARD!" The two boys started wrestling on the ground and were promptly ignored.

"Doc, I bet it is either something mundane or either terrifying." Yang asked the wolf woman, and she gave a poker face back.

"You all take me to have a dark side. My guilty pleasure is seeing you all naked." She said, and they stared at the lie detector, that remained silent.

"Well, that is your favorite game then…" Yang commented and the doctor kept her poker face. "That explains so much about our medical examinations… How about you, Penny?"

"I find the guides to human and Faunus reproduction that Coco, Sun and Neptune brought on board fascinating. I never expected the mating rituals to be so complex and so physically demanding." She said and they all stared at her wonderings what exactly she was talking about.

"Penny, show me one of those videos." The android activated a screen, and then it came…

"Turn it off! Turn it off!" Ruby yelled and Penny complied.

"I will have such a long talk about those videos with you later, Penny. And then I will talk with Coco, Neptune and Sun about your choice of entertainment." Jaune said, and while Sun and Neptune had the decency of looking guilty, Coco just rolled her eyes and fixed her sunglasses.

"I wonder what catalogue you three brought. It would make such a nice movie night." Yang teased while half the crew gave her a 'don't you dare' stare. "How about you, Glyn? Will we be surprised?"

"No, you won't. I like to write a paper diary down. Dated, but safe from hackings and curious naïve AIs." She spared a look to penny, which just tilted her head in curiosity. "And if I discover any of you trying to find and read my diary, I will let you all know I will find you and I will kill you."

"Damn. Death by Glynda or discovering her deepest secrets? I will not take the chance." Yang said as the blonde older woman kept menacingly staring them down. "I am so thankful I saved the best for last. Skipper." She sang the last part in a sultry way and Jaune blushed, hiding his face with his hands.

"I like to sleep hugging someone." He confessed. "My sisters always found ways to sneak on my bed, and I got used to it."

"If you are having troubles sleeping, I volunteer." Yang said with a seductive gaze.

"Oh, that explains why you asked me to do it." Penny said absently minded, generating gasps and stares from the crew, while Jaune's face was the reddest red in the room.

"PENNY! I TOLD YOU TO KEEP IT A SECRET!"

"You know, skipper, Velvet is really soft, and you could pet her while trying to sleep." Coco teased, making them both blush more.

"I am pretty sure I am softer, and I have on board pillows." Yang pushed her breasts up with her arms.

"If… you have trouble sleeping… SKIPPER!" Pyrrha couldn't finish talking as Jaune passed out.

"This will either make us unable to look at each other's eyes forever or create an unbreakable bond." Blake commented.

"Oh, does that mean our Personas will evolve?" Nora chirped in.

"What you are talking about?" Ruby asked and Nora was about to explain but Doc cut her.

"OK, I think we need five minutes for Jauney to wake up and to calm down."


	29. Third is a Trap

Yang woke up sweating, her pillow and sheets on the floor, meaning she trashed around while sleeping. She breathed hard and put her face between her hands as she remembered the nightmare she had. She saw her mother, Raven, running around some type of crystal made place and fighting Grimm, asking for help. But when the blonde tried to jump in to help, she woke up and now found herself like this.

It made no sense as she hasn't dreamed about her mother since… ever. She never really met her as she disappeared with the FTLRSS-5 when the blonde Marine was just six months older. Her father said Raven did it because no other pilot dared, because she hoped Yang would grow up under a blue sky and with grass under her feet. It was in fact the second ship Raven tested, being the test pilot for the FTLRSS-4 too. Yang got a bit of peace of mind after Ozpin and Jaune allowed her to read all pertinent archives about her mother and the day she disappeared. Sadly, they knew nothing about how she disappeared and especially where she could be.

"Yang, did you have a bad dream?" Ruby asked rubbing her silver eyes with the back of her hands like a cute puppy.

"Yeah, but it is nothing. Go back to sleep, I will just go to the bridge and annoy the skipper." Yang said as she jumped out of the bed and grabbed her uniform from her locker.

"Try to not annoy him much. He's the nicest CO we ever had. I hope we can keep under his command after we return home." Ruby said and they she turned around to go back to sleep.

Her sister smiled and entered the bathroom, taking a quick warm bath, putting her uniform, fixing her hair and finally going towards the bridge. There she found the still amazing image of the holographic deck they got from Qrow, and the amazing visuals of subspace. It was like being underwater, but with an aurora light permeating the way. She saw Jaune talking with Penny while Coco, Sun and Neptune were banging their heads over the sound of music. Velvet was sleeping on her console, her bunny ears twitching from time to time. Ren was apparently the only one working.

"Hey, skipper." She said as she approached his chair.

"Yang? Shouldn't you be sleeping?" He asked in surprise. She smirked and leaned towards him.

"Don't you want me here?" She asked but he just put a hand on her cheek, surprising her.

"Looks like you had trouble sleeping. Is something troubling you?" He asked with genuine worry, and Yang just blushed a little, not used to guys treating her like that. But her playful nature took over her.

"A little nightmare. Maybe if you let me snuggle you I could sleep soundly." She said doing the same puppy eyes Ruby usually did.

"I can sleep with you if that would help, Lt. Xiao Long." Penny suggested with a naïve smile, and Yang couldn't resist it, putting the synthetic girl into a lovely hug.

"Sir, permission to never let Penny go. She is surprisingly soft and warm!" Yang said and Jaune smiled while Penny giggled.

"I am glad I made you feel better, Lieutenant." The android said and Yang just petted her.

"Sir, a few minutes before we reach _The Club_." Neptune announced as he turned the music off.

The captain decided they needed all information about the mysterious Queen as they could get, since the twins could give them only information about the past, not much about the current situation. Even Qrow said the movements of the Queen were erratic at best, aleatory at worst, and considering she apparently took an interest over the _Nagato Kai_ , Jaune decided to not return to the colonies until he was sure they would be safe.

"Penny, put the ship in yellow alert and wake Velvet. Yang, since you are awake anyway, how about readying a fighter just in case?" Jaune ordered, and the blonde girl decided it was better than trying to sleep back. She let go of Penny and rushed towards the elevator and the android gentle shook the bunny girl.

"You know, that Jun'ee'or led us to a trap. Shouldn't we scare him a little?" Coco asked and Jaune nodded.

"Maybe we can fire down one of his billboards." He answered and Coco saluted him.

But what they saw as they warped out was not what they expected.

The billboards were no more, as _The Club_ itself couldn't be find, except by its several debris. The Nagato Kai immediately entered in head alert and they started scanning. They found debris that probably belonged to spaceships, and the occasional corpse. Whatever attacked the place simple destroyed everything in sight.

"I think Jun'ee'or pissed someone else besides us. And I mean really pissed." Sun commented.

"Ren, report." Jaune asked as the holo-screens outlined the remains.

"Several traces of high-energy photons. It is… similar to the saucer beams that attacked us and the pirates that day." The black haired boy stated. Jaune gritted his teeth understand the meaning of such action.

"Sir… I am detecting a transmission. Automatic… the source is a probe in the middle of the debris." Velvet stated as she checked her panels.

"Pass it through."

The image shocked everyone. It was Roman, the pirate leader. The one they believed to be dead.

" _Hello there. If you tried to reach The Club, I have some bad news… It is destroyed, but you might have figured this out on your own. Now, you might wonder who did it, well, I do have the answer, and it was this ship_." The old _Nagato_ appeared on screen, as well pictures of all the crew except Penny, Neo and Zwei. " _This unknown species have being terrorizing the Sector for a long while and now I am offering a reward. Rainbow Dust, the rarest form of Dust crystal. I am giving 10 jrums for information on the ship's location, 30 for any captured crew member and a whooping hundred jrums for the coordinates of their home planet. Information about their species and ship are being forwarded with this message. You can get your reward in the Deadly Kiss. Good hunt_."

"HEAVENS FUCKING DAMNIT! Coco, destroy that probe! Neptune, let's get out of here! Anywhere a week in warp from here, but in the opposite direction of Remnant!" Jaune barked and they did it as fast as they could and a few minutes later they were back in the subspace. "Now excuse me as I swear."

Jaune proceeded to swear the dirtiest, most shameful words ever uttered. Velvet covered her human ears with her bunny ears. Coco and Sun stared in awe while Neptune was too shocked to answer.

…

"Would anyone even believe in such message?" Glynda asked as the crew was reunited in the bridge.

"They don't need to believe. If rainbow Dust is so rare and precious, many will do it for the reward." Blake explained as she passed the video again on her scroll. "It is obvious Roman was the one that attacked _The Club_. But now he probably put a lot of bounty hunters on our tails."

"But only Sun have a tail…" Penny pointed it.

"And I am proud of it." He answered back with a smirk.

"Let's not sidetrack, please. So, we are NOT going back home, are we?" Weiss questioned and Jaune nodded.

"We don't know if they can actually track us. Ren?"

"Our pattern on this trip have being very random, and we didn't made that much contact with the people around nor we provided info about ourselves, especially about our home system. But as Jaune said, we don't know if our enemies have the technology to track our movements." Ren proceeded to show up an image of the star system _The Club_ was and from there several lines. "The _Nagato Kai_ can detect the first click of a warp, and this trail last a day. It is not enough to determine where a ship came from or goes, but it makes it possible that a tracking technique can be developed."

"That means if we go home right away they can just track us down? Damn it, this is so unfair! When we just accomplished our mission!" Coco protested, in a rare occasion of losing her temper.

"Calm down. We have two steps to do before considering going home. First, going to this Deadly Kiss place and get rid of Roman once and for all. He is a menace to our mission and our people, and therefore I am declaring war against him. After that we will see if the other _Club's_ are still there to get the info we need and maybe get this damn bounty off us." Jaune declared and the crew murmured between themselves for a moment.

"Two questions. Where's the Deadly Kiss is and how Roman survived our last encounter?" Ruby said with her hand on the air.

"Neo?" Jaune asked and the little alien girl took a step forward, and a sector map appeared. She pointed to a pair of stars.

"It is a binary system where the two giant stars trade matter. It generates a lot of cosmic radiation, basically killing long range sensors. Prime spot for hiding." Ren explained. Jaune petted a proud Neo in the head.

"That is why you don't betray your allies. Now, about your second question, Rubes… Either he escaped in a survival pod and was rescued by a ship that survived the battle or passed by, or he was rescued by and is now under the orders of the Queen." Ruby gulped under the prospect of Roman being allied with the mysterious woman that commanded the Grimm as Jaune explained the situation.

"And we are going there? It smells like trap!" Weiss shrieked but Jaune knew of that too.

"Nora, based on our last encounter with the pirates and the mysterious saucer, and the upgrades on the Nagato Kai, how are our chances?"

"WE WILL BREAK THEIR LEGSES!" Nora screamed and Jaune smiled.

"We know it is a trap, we have Neo here to provide intel and our ship have more than a fighting chance against the Queen's vessel. If we don't go there now, we might lose our only chance to get them off our tails. The time to arrival is four days, so we will be prepared for anything. For now, I want you all to try to rest." Jaune said and dismissed everyone. Weiss walked towards him and stared on his eyes.

"I trust you. Remember this." And with that she walked away. Jaune sighed and stared at the star map. Then he felt a comforting hand from Pyrrha.

"She meant that. She trusts you, as we all do, to get us back alive."

"No pressure, eh?"

"Just a little." Pyrrha answered with a smile.

…

" _Captain Roman, we have being waiting for days_." An alien with a small head covered in grey fur with six blue eyes asked through the radio, the image and sound crackling due to the interference of the two giant stars as they exchanged matter by being so close.

"I assure you Admiral Krafun that the ship that attacked your colonies will be lured here. We left a message where we are sure they will find it. Besides, it is not like you have any better clue to find them." Roman assured as he lit a cigar using his bionic finger.

" _I hope, for your own good, you are not lying to me, Roman. There is a warrant for your head too_." With that the alien ended the communication.

"Captain Roman, are you sure we should be here in this ship? I don't trust those aliens. They are as ugly as the ones we are after." One of the crewmembers said and Roman rolled his eyes.

"They saved us, gave us a nice little ship to start again, I think our associates can be trusted."

"They shot us!"

"Details! Besides, they got us one nice better ship."

"What if the fleet here discovers our ship is not exactly what looks like?" The pirate asked and Roman sighed.

"There are a hundred ships out there; we won't even need to get involved. And they are too blinded by the reward to care about details. And no buts. I will have my vengeance." Roman finished as he looked at the image of the several different ships in wait.

…

"Commander, you be careful." Jaune said as Glynda, Yang, Neptune and Penny prepared to board the fighters. One of them was a two-seater equipped with long range sensors and would be operated by the commander with the help of Penny.

"I can say the same thing to you, captain. After all, it is the _Nagato Kai_ that will be the main target." Glynda answered as she fixed her helmet.

"We won't go down easily. And I hope the same is true for you four. Now, just in case, we loaded copies of our travel log on your fighters and two rainbow Dust crystal on each. If the _Nagato Kai_ is about to go down, I am giving all of you direct orders to warp back to Remnant and deliver the info and the cores to our people. I don't want any of you trying to be heroes out there." Jaune said and Yang put her hands on his shoulders.

"I can say the same to you. Remember my little sister is here and I really love her, so you better keep her safe and sound or I will kick your cute butt." She stated and put her helmet.

"I will do my best, which is all I can promise you, but if that is not enough, I will try harder. Now, just a few more minutes after we warp out. As soon as we do, you will be launched, but try to keep yourselves hidden for as long as possible." Jaune spoke and they all nodded. The captain saw them getting on the fighters and returned to the bridge. As he entered he saw Ruby and Weiss in the second level of the bridge where they would work as secondary gunners, manning the AA guns so Coco and Sun would focus on the canons. He took the helmsman seat and tried to relax as he checked the controllers one last time.

"Well, that will be one hell of a battle. Qrow better be as good as he said he is." Coco commented while trying to dispel the tense mood.

"We are armed to the teeth. I am sure our girl can take a hundred ships easily." Sun answered and Jaune smirked.

"I will be satisfied if we can take 99 and still go back home." Jaune answered and he activated the intercom. "Attention everyone, our plan is simple. We go there, kick Roman's ass and get out. We strike fast, hard and go out before they can read the name in the hull. This will take us one step closer to return to our families and friends back home, so today I don't want your best, I want you all to surpass your own expectations. Let's do this."

"Awww, I expected something funnier." Ruby said from her seat and they laughed a bit.

"I will be funny later. Velvet, is the message prepared?" Jaune asked the Faunus girl.

"Yes, sir. As soon as we warp out we will broadcast it in all frequencies." She answered while nervousness cracked into her voice.

"OK, let's warp out."

The _Nagato Kai_ warped out and entered in battle mode immediately, with their main canons deployed, as well as the MASERs, and the fighters were deployed soon after, flying away from the ship in stealth mode. As soon as they warped they were baffled by the sheer amount of ships of all sizes in stand by around the orbit of the two stars.

The two yellow giants made a show apart as they traded matter, creating a breathtaking spectacle by themselves, but also interfering in all long range sensors. This forced the _Nagato Kai_ in moving forward in her search for Roman's vessel. Many of the small ships present didn't wait into trying to intercept them, but were surprised by the long range MASERs.

As the _Nagato Kai_ moved closer, they started firing against all hostile vessels in range, sinking many of them easily. There was a moment many of the ships seemed to hesitate, but soon they started swarming against Jaune's ship, firing their own weapons. The new shields were holding better than expected, and while severely outnumbered, they were more in equal footing than expected.

…

"Admiral Krafun, that ship is more powerful than what was reported!" One of the crewmembers informed while the carrier vessel the admiral commanded watched the images of the battle.

"Not only that, they sent us a message." Another informed, and the admiral got curious.

"Pass them through."

" _Here is the FTLRSS-7 Nagato Kai. The accusations of our attack against The Club are a lie created by the space pirate Roman. We don't want to fight any of you but we will fire against any ship approaching with a hostile attitude. We are here after the criminal responsible for several attacks against us, and only him. If you know of Roman's location, we would appreciate the help. Otherwise we recommend all of you to leave. Repeating…_ "

"Launch the fighters and try to get them down. Meanwhile, try to confirm their identity as the ones that attacked our colonies. I don't trust that Roman anyway." The admiral ordered as he observed the skills the enemy ship was demonstrating, as well as its astonishing firepower.

…

"Fighters!" Yang alerted as they moved by the battle's borders.

"Ignore them for now. Our priority is to find Roman's ship." Glynda said as they maneuvered between the ships that still not moved into battle.

"How will we even find him in the middle of those ships?" Neptune asked.

"Roman promised rainbow Dust to them, so he certainly brought it here to prove it was not an empty promise. That much rainbow Dust will appear in our sensors when we got close enough to it." Glynda explained over the radio.

"Well, better we do it fast. The _Nagato Kai_ might be the best ship here, but it is taking a lot of flak." Yang finished as the fighters kept moving.

…

"Sir, it is just me or that ship is different somehow?" One of the pirates questioned as Roman kept observing the battle.

"They might have changed a few things here and there, but they won't be able to resist all those ships. And even if they do, they will still have to fight us." Roman than started laughing. "What I would give to see their faces when we make our entrance."

…

The _Nagato Kai_ kept doing evasive maneuvers as the enemy ships kept incoming. The main canons were doing a good job dispatching the bigger ships in long range, while the secondary ones kept a constant barrage of fire trying to keep the smaller ones away. Things got worse for them when the fighters arrived, and while the AA guns took down several of them, many others were able to fire against the ship, trying to take down the main guns.

…

"Sir, there is some inconsistencies over the ship we are fighting and the one that attacked our colonies." Admiral Krafun approached the terminal that the crewmember that spoke was using. "The ship we are fighting against have three barrels in each of their main canons, while the one that attacked us before have only two. Not only that, there are several differences in design."

"Maybe they are from the same class?"

"If they are, why come here alone? They can't be so arrogant to think they can defeat all of us."

The admiral returned to his seat and got in a pensive mood as the battle raged on.

…

"Damn it! I lost another turret!" Weiss shouted as she tried to down as many fighters and other small ships getting to close to them.

"I lost another one too! There are too many!" Ruby said and Jaune observed the battle map.

"Sun, fire the missiles! All of them! Let's get some breathing room here! Coco, prepare for a microwave drift!"

The missile ports in the back and belly of the _Nagato Kai_ opened and hundreds of missiles were fired, enveloping the ship in a cloud of colorful Dust warhead explosions. They didn't get the enemy the chance to react as Jaune spun the ship in its axis and Coco fired the MASERs, destroying several of the damaged ships in its way and giving the _Nagato Kai_ the much needed room to keep fighting.

…

"Captain Roman, they already destroyed at least thirty ships, many of them are retreating and others are saying they will do the same if we don't increase the reward!"

"Tell them that they can leave if they don't want it. All we need is for them to give those ugly aliens a beating before we go for the kill." Roman said still calm.

"MISSILES INCOMING!" This time he got up to look at the screen.

…

"Large amounts of rainbow Dust detected in the ship with the mushroom shaped bow." Penny stated as the fighters approached the ship.

"It looks like a d…"

"Do NOT say it, Lt. Xiao Long. Arm the missiles and fire. When we confirm the identity of the ship we will go back to support the _Nagato Kai_."

The three fires fired a volley of missiles and they hit the target of the ship that was almost hidden from the battle. When they exploded, several debris floated and the fighters looked in shock as their target started moving away from them. The weird shaped hull was expunged by a series of controlled explosions, and the true form of the ship appeared.

It was identical to the _Nagato_.

…

"What the actual fuck!" Coco summarized as the fighters sent the image back.

"It is… us…" Ruby completed as the image became clearer.

"So that is how they convinced so many people to come here. They were pretending to be us. I'm going for a beeline towards them. We need to take them down first. Coco, focus on cleaning us a path! Sun, Ruby, Weiss, keep everyone else as far from us as possible! Velvet, tell the fighters to cover us!" Jaune ordered and the _Nagato Kai_ started the sprint towards its fake.

…

"Admiral! That is Roman's ship! It is identical to the one on our records!"

"Traitorous scum! Tell our fighters to return!" Admiral Krafun ordered.

"Understood! Sir, the ship we have being fighting is in course to intercept Roman!"

"So that is why they came here… Fine, tell our ships we are going to aid them! Try to hail them so they will stop shooting at us!"

…

"Captain Roman! The Hromlunis fleet is siding with the enemy ship! Several others are fleeing!"

"No!" Roman punched the arm of his chair. "They won't escape this time! We have a ship better than theirs! Take us to them! We'll end this now!"

The fake _Nagato_ accelerated towards the _Nagato Kai_.

…

"Thanks for trusting us, Admiral Krafun. We'll take Roman down then we'll show you the proof we aren't involved with the attack to your colonies." Jaune said as the ship kept pressing forward.

"I'll be waiting, Cpt. Arc. We will give you cover. Good luck." With that the radio went silent and the fighters from Krafun turned to fight the enemies still fighting the _Nagato Kai_.

"Inform the Commander and the others of our temporary allies and pass their transponder codes." Jaune told Velvet and she proceeded to do so.

"Captain, Roman's ship is coming towards us." Ren informed as he checked the sensors. "They deployed their weapons."

"Try to contact them. I don't want anyone thinking we didn't give them a chance to surrender." Jaune spoke and Velvet tried to contact them to no avail. "Keep trying, Vel. Now, Coco, what about we play a bit of chicken with him."

"Oh, this will be fun!" The short haired brunette answered.

The _Nagato Kai_ kept firing forwards as they closed the distance with Roman's ship, while the fighters kept the others away from the two ships. The fake _Nagato_ started firing, but Jaune evaded the attacks as Coco fired back. The two ships kept in a collision course even when the alarms fired and the canons started hitting, only the force fields protecting both ships. But neither captains showed signs of changing their courses.

The ships were now two clicks from each other, the main canons of the _Nagato Kai_ destroying the ones on Roman's ships due to their bigger firepower. The fake _Nagato_ fired the MASERs, damaging the port side of the real one. They were close to colliding.

Then Jaune diverted course.

Roman smiled from his seat believing in a victory. It was already too late when his crewmen warned what was happening.

The Nagato Kai flew above the fake ship, and rotated to put the four main canons directly aimed at the fake one.

They fired all canons at the same time, close range.

Roman cursed and his cigar fell down, but the energy beams from the _Nagato Kai_ destroyed the bridge he was on.

With the fake ship sunk, the remaining enemy ships started warping away.

…

" _We apologize for attacking your ship, Cpt. Arc. I hope you can forgive us._ " Admiral Krafun said over the radio. The battle ended an hour before and now the Hromlunis fleet was rescuing the survivals unable to warp back to their home systems.

"You've being deceived by Roman, Admiral. We're the ones who should apologize for the loss of your soldiers." Jaune answered and the Admiral nodded.

" _It was unfortunate, but not your fault. As soon as we return to our planet, we will inform all our allies that your ship is being framed. Sadly it will take several mega-cycles before we can clear your name._ " The admiral stated, and then he changed from apologetic to worry. " _Now, the information you shared with us about the Devourers…_ "

"It's all information we have. We hope it can be useful." Jaune answered. They sent to the admiral all information about the Grimm, just omitting Qrow and the twins, for their own protection.

" _It will take a while before the idiocrats back home decide to do something with this info. But this changes everything. To think there is someone purposefully spreading such plague around… I have much to consider, Cpt. Arc, so do my people and our allies. I will not hold you here anymore as you probably have your own mission to do. I bid you safe travels and a prompt return home, Cpt. Arc._ "

"I bid you the same, Admiral." With that the radio went silent. "Neptune, trace a course to the closest filial of The Club. Maybe Roman didn't destroy every single one of them. We will have to wait the cool down from everyone hunting us before considering returning home."

"Do you think the Queen will give up now? If she was really the one that provided Roman with the fake _Nagato_?" Glynda asked as the _Nagato Kai_ moved to the warp point.

"Considering how fast they made it, I think so. That is why I shared information with the admiral, so at least other people in the galaxy will be aware of her movements too." Jaune explained as he sat back on his chair.

"At least is one problem less to deal with. Maybe we are finally close to finish this mission." Weiss commented and Jaune hoped she was right.

…

"He got himself killed. I told you he wouldn't last one battle considering how eager he was to follow with his stupid plan." The green haired girl commented as they sat idle in a circular room with a table covered in diverse kinds of food and music being played.

"He made himself useful, at least, Emerald. Now we know the ship is around this area of our galaxy. Mercury, how are the deployment of the subspace net?" The long-haired brunette with fiery eyes asked the silver haired man while sipping from a cup.

"Just a few more mega-cycles and we will cover the main slipstreams connecting the star systems with spacefaring species. They won't be able to go anywhere without we knowing." Mercury answered as he bit a red fruit. "Should we really bother with them? They are so… irrelevant…"

"They are. They are insignificant before my power. But they saw something they shouldn't, and I would rather make sure no one does anything I won't allow to. Mercury, take a ship and destroy the fleet that they befriended. No survivors." The Queen ordered.

"Do you want me to destroy that black ship too?"

"Not yet. I want to know from where they are from so I can destroy their people too." She finished as she drank the dark liquid, an evil smile across her face.


	30. Together, Apart

The same dream.

Her mother fighting black creatures in a crystal like place, asking for help.

She isn't able to do anything.

She wakes up.

Yang was tired, tired of having that nightmare since they warped again after finally killing Roman. They were going to one of _The Club_ 's to gather information on their new enemy, the Queen, and maybe after that going home. But those dreams were getting a toll on her and she had no idea what to do. She just got up and sneaked out of the quarters. She needed something to do to relax; she needed something to help her sleep.

As she walked aimless through the corridors she stumbled onto someone.

"Yang? Are you alright? You look awful." She looked up to see Jaune Arc staring at her. His concerned looks help her to feel a little better.

"Thanks, skipper, but I…"

"Lie to me and I am making you have mandatory counseling with Doc."

"…I'm having nightmares about my mother every night and it is driving me insane." Yang admitted, or better yet, decided to save herself from Doc. The Faunus woman was a nice person, but her counseling sessions usually involved trading an old trauma for a new one (involving counseling).

"Why now?" He wondered, and then he finally noticed she was just in her undergarments and blushed. "Er, Yang, I think you should get some appropriate clothes before we keep talking…"

She stared at him, then on herself, and blushed madly as she covered as much as she could with her arms. Yes, she was a flirt that liked to flaunt her assets, but she wasn't so bold as to stay there like that, no matter how much she loved that silly captain. Jaune noticed her dilemma and gave her his jacket, and she was glad he was taller than her as it covered the most dangerous parts.

"Come on, let's go to my office." He said, gently taking her by her hand. She always had men doing nice gestures towards her, all to get into her panties, but Jaune was so genuine, his face so filled with real concern, that she just let him guide her. Once they were in the office, he gave her a warm cup of tea and she accepted it. "Now, can you tell me what the nightmares are about?"

"She is fighting, asking for help, but I can't reach her in time. You know what is weird? She is wearing a spacesuit of sorts. I never saw her in one. It's like my mind is trying to play a scene that makes sense." She confessed, and Jaune, which was sitting by her side, gently gave her a hug.

"I'm sorry we didn't find any clue yet."

"The mission takes priority, skipper. Besides, the truth is that I shouldn't hope. I mean, space is so big and all. I shouldn't expect we'll just come across a clue like this." She confessed, and Jaune gently combed her hair with his fingers, making her relax.

"Hope is only a problem when it becomes an obsession. I don't think you should stop hoping." He said in a comforting tone, and she nodded, her head on his shoulder.

"I just… I have Ruby, dad, this crew… you… I can't let my mother's disappearance being what drives me forward…" She confessed, and Jaune gently kept hugging her.

"So don't. Keep the memory of your mother alive, but live your life. I believe she would like that… Yang?"

The girl fell asleep. Jaune took her in his arm and put her on his bed. He smiled and decided to let her sleep, just hoping the crew wouldn't make a fuss of it.

…

"Lt. Xiao Long, please wake up."

Yang woke up and looked around. She wasn't in her bunker, but in the captain's bed. She checked herself and noticed she was with his jacket, her underwear intact, and cursed herself to even think the skipper would try something while she was sleeping. She saw Penny with her uniform on her hands.

"Heya, Penny. Good morning…"

"Good morning, Lt. Xiao Long. The captain wants you in the bridge ASAP. He said they found something you need to hear."

Yang wondered what the android was talking about and took her uniform. She fixed herself, used the captain's bathroom (glad it was very clean and neat), put her uniform on and walked towards the bridge, with Jaune's jacket on her hands. She found the usual culprits on the bridge, plus Glynda, Ruby and Nora, and they all were around Velvet's console.

"Hey, guys, what is up?" She said in a better mood, the sleep finally giving her the rest she needed. She approached them and returned Jaune's jacket.

"I think we discovered the source of your nightmares. Velvet, play it again."

" _SOS(static)Here's(static)lost(static)somew(static)FTL….5….(static) Command… Raven…_ "

"We caught this message a few minutes ago. It's coming from the subspace and we're trying to determine its origins." Velvet explained, and Yang just stared at her panel.

"The twins used some type of empathic link to talk with me before, using the subspace as a conductor. We believe your nightmares might be due to your genetic and emotional link with your mother. And now we have this message." Jaune stated, and Yang still just stared at the panel.

"Yang?" Ruby asked with concern.

"It can be just an automated message." Yang said, not daring to hope. "Or an echo of an older transmission."

"It could be. It doesn't matter; we're going to investigate it." Jaune said and Yang stared at him, not understanding why waste their time there. "The FTLRSS-5 disappearance is an unsolved mystery we might be able to solve today. Spacy doesn't like to have mysteries unsolved, so this is to bring closure."

 _This is to bring you closure_ , Yang understood, and she fought her emotions to not just cry and hug the captain on spot. She just nodded in gratitude towards him, and her sister gently held her hand.

"So, any chance we can actually find the source of this call?" Jaune returned to Velvet, Nora and Ren.

"With just this it will be hard. We don't know how radio calls work in subspace to use intensity to determine distance and direction." Nora explained as she checked Velvet's panel. "If we could get a repeated signal..."

"Can't we use the quantum properties to get a clue?" Ren suggested.

"Well, it could help narrow it down, but it would take years to develop the right math to do so, considering we barely know enough about the subspace." Nora said in a dejected tone.

"We have another source of information. Yang, tell us when you started having those dreams. If possible, tell us the time you woke up from them." Jaune suggested, and Yang nodded, telling them what she could. Nora them gleamed in happiness and got over a holographic map of the slipstreams they rode on.

"I knew it! Every time we cross close to a superknot she has a nightmare!" She showed several knot like structures, and the route the _Nagato Kai_ was taking. She pointed the time Yang woke from every dream as close to the points several streams crossed. "If we go back to the last one, we might be able to get something."

"Well done Nora. Neptune, let's see if those improved engines really can make us navigate those streams. Get us back to the last superknot Nora marked." Jaune ordered and they all returned to their positions. The captain gives on last smile towards Yang before putting his jacket back and sitting.

"I hope we can discover what happened to your mother, sis." Ruby said and Yang smiled.

"Me too."

"Now, why you came from the skipper's room and why you had his jacket?" Ruby asked and Yang groaned.

…

" _SOS! Here's FTLRSS-5! I got lost somewhere INSIDE the subspace! If you can hear it, if you can reach me, I crashed into some type of solid structure inside the subspace! It is some type of Dust crystal moon! There are black creatures here trying to attack! I have food only for five days! Please help me! FTLRSS-5 Commander Raven Branwen of Remnant Spacy, asking for help!_ "

"This is just a clearer version of that first contact. After that we are receiving a constant distress signal, Spacy standard." Velvet said.

"Nora, Ren, any clue about from where this message is coming?" Jaune asked his engineers.

"It would take years to…" Ren started but Nora cut him off.

"Here." She said showing a superknot on the subspace map. Ren stared at her in disbelief.

"Nora, how you can even say that?"

"I had Penny run the needed theories. You know she can think a hundred times faster than us? All I needed was to give her some pointers, check out some theories and bam! We had the needed math." Nora explained happily. "Oh, and woman's intuition."

"Nora, we talked about woman's intuition before…"

"They never failed my sisters before, so I'm going to trust you on this Nora. Neptune, let's check this knot." Jaune ordered, leaving a speechless Ren and a giddy Nora behind.

…

"Wow… Imagine how much this is worth!" Coco commented as the _Nagato Kai_ entered a superknot. It was an incredible turbulent as they tried, but once inside it was just as calm as normal space. And in the middle, there was a huge moon-sized, multi colored Dust crystal.

"So, do you think Dust come from here too?" Sun asked off-handed.

"It would make sense. Dust was always a mystery to our science, but if indeed originate in the subspace superknots, it would certainly explains a lot." Ren said in a pensive mood.

"We aren't approaching it with the ship. Nora, prepare the fighters, including the surveillance one. Yang and I will scan that place and see if we can find the FTLRSS-5." Jaune said as he got up.

"Isn't the subspace like… really bad for your healthy outside the ship? That is why we can't go in the sky decks while here." Sun commented.

"Qrow improved the shielding on the fighters and the _Hunters_ , but even so it is a two hours limit before the cumulated energy start to damage the body. And three hours to create irreversible damage." Ren explained.

"So we will do it quick. We will find the FTLRSS-5, grab its black box and come back." Jaune stated, though he had one small glimmer of hope he didn't dare to say aloud.

…

"Ren, are your readings the same as ours?" Jaune asked as he approached the Dust moon-like body with the fighters.

" _Yes, the cosmic radiation gets weaker as you approach the moon. Maybe the Dust is absorbing it. If the progression goes like this, you probably can stay a whole month in that moon. Don't mean you should_."

"We will stick to the plan. Get in, scan, get the black box, and get out." Jaune said ending the call, then radioing Yang. "Listen, if we find your mother's body…"

"Thanks, I know. I'm happy Ruby isn't here, and I only expect to find bones. But at least, this will be the end in this chapter of my life." She concluded.

The two fighters started a low flight over the moon. The two blondes couldn't help but think that was the most beautiful image they ever saw in their whole lives. The way the colors were disposed, the gigantic crystalline structures. It took them an hour before finally seeing it. In the side of a gigantic Dust crystal was the black familiar form of a FTL ship and Yang felt her heart beating faster, and she was almost going there without orders. Thankfully Jaune gave the order before she could do something rash, and they landed by the ship's side.

The duo left the fighters and walked towards the downed ship. It was incredible damaged and would never fly again. The door to the interior was open, and Jaune motioned to enter first, but Yang didn't allow him to. She wanted to be the very first to do so, and she hoped he would understand. Jaune moved aside and took a guard position, and the girl silently thanked him before entering.

The ship was identical to the old Nagato on the outside, but it was several times smaller, and had only the pilot's cabin. Yang soon found the large seat, and slowly approached it believing to find her mother's body there. But instead she found it empty. She wondered if her mother decided to leave the ship, and if the black creatures she described could have entered the ship.

She left and found Jaune with his gun pointed towards a downside slope.

"Saw something?" She asked, and Jaune nodded.

"Black, slug like. Found her?"

"Empty. I copied the logs though. We can go as soon as you want to." She answered, and the captain wondered about it.

"Let's explore the surroundings for a bit. See if we find signs of her."

Yang couldn't be more grateful for that. They decided to go as they would if their ship crashed, and search for a vantage point they could defend. So they walked down the slope, and walked between the crystal structures. As they walked, they both saw movement in the shadows and kept a guarded stance. But for now, no signs of Raven.

"Yang, there." The blonde turned to see what he was pointing at. A slug twice as big as Zwei was staring at them. On top of its antennae was a pair or red eyes.

"What are those?"

"Grimm… maybe?" Jaune said as the colors match mostly, though they didn't had the white bone-like plates and spikes.

"Didn't the twins said the Grimm were dark matter life forms? Do you think it is those?" Yang questioned.

"I think I don't want to find out. Sorry, Yang, better we…" The slug made a movement, faster than expected, jumping on Jaune and revealing white spikes from its body. He was about to shoot it but Yang stopped him and punched the black creature away.

"This place is pure Dust! A misplaced shot can blow it all!" She warned and he nodded, putting the rifle away and checking his sword and shield. They worked there too. They turned around and saw several Grimm-slugs surrounding them, blocking their way back to the fighters. "Run away?"

"My favorite plan. Simple and safe." He answered and both turned and ran.

Gravity worked funny in the subspace, with the tiny moon-size body offering more gravity in some spots and less in others. It made their escape more difficulty than expected. Jaune tapped Yang's shoulder and showed her a cave like space on the top of some crystals. She nodded and they started jumping. Yang reached the space easily, but when Jaune did his last jump he got caught by a heavy gravity pocket and was about to fall. Thankfully a hand grabbed his and pulled him to safety.

The hand didn't belonged to Yang, but to another person wearing a heavy duty spacesuit, carrying a long sword with a red blade and wearing the weird shaped, dated helmet with the Spacy designations printed on its side.

"I don't know who you are, but I hope you can help me. I am Raven Branwen, Remnant Colonies Spacy. I was testing a prototype ship when the warp engines acted up, throwing me here. I have being here for days, my food supply is almost finished and those things keep attacking me. So, if you can help me, or even understand me, please, help me." She said in a calm voice, or as calm as possible as her situation allowed. Jaune stared at her, than at Yang. The girl stood there, maybe too shocked to answer.

"Commander Branwen, I'm Captain Jaune Arc of the FTLRSS-7 _Nagato Kai_ , Remnant Colonies Spacy." There was a long moment of silence.

"What? But… That is impossible! I met Jaune Arc, he's a baby! He was even born the same day my daughter Yang was. It can't be you!" Raven said with clear confusion in her voice.

"Commander, you disappeared more than twenty years ago." Jaune tried to explain as simple as possible. It wasn't working.

"You can't be serious! How is that even possible?!" Raven was starting to panic, so Jaune put his hand on her shoulder to calm her and get her attention.

"Time in the subspace flows different than normal space, especially in places like this superknot." He explained to her and she remembered Ozpin said subspace time moved faster, but it would be just a few seconds for hours spent inside, not years for days. She wanted to disbelieve him, but his armor, the insignias, the fact he presented himself as Jaune Arc, it couldn't be a lie.

"My daughter… It means… I was absent when she needed me the most… She is probably a woman now." She wondered, and Jaune stared at Yang. The blonde girl was in a loss of words as she finally met her mother, but they couldn't even stare at each other face due to the helmets. She simple had no idea what to do or say.

"Commander, we need to get out of here. We landed our fighters close to your ship, and if we reach them, we can go back to the Nagato Kai. If time here is compressed as much as it seems, it means a day spent here is somewhere close to four years in normal space, and an hour is sixty days. I would rather we get out of here sooner." Jaune said in a proper commanding tone, and Raven couldn't avoid being impressed, considering he was a very weak and small baby when he was born.

"Those slugs won't allow us to get to your fighters easily, and we can't just shot around a big Dust crystal. I hope those armors of yours have some tricks of their own." She stated and Jaune observed the slugs now rounding up the base of the crystal they were hidden. He deduced the negative emotions cumulating there were attracting them similarly as it would do with the Grimm they know.

" _Nagato_ , do you copy? We might need an extraction with the tractor beam." Jaune asked by radio. A bit of static came first then the voice of Glynda.

" _Here's Nagato, we can't do that, captain. According to Sgt. Valkyrie, the effects of the subspace on it are… mysterious_." Glynda said with a bit of annoyance on her voice.

"Wait… Glynda? Glynda Goodwitch?" Raven asked as they were linked.

" _This voice… but it can't be… Raven_?"

"I can't believe it is you! I always expected you to become an instructor! Wait… who's the admiral now?"

" _Who else? Tenryuu. I can't believe you are alive!_ "

"Tenryuu? That explain so many things. Glynda, my daughter? How's she?"

" _Raven… your daughter is… wait… captain, we are detecting an incoming ship! It's… a Queen's ship!"_ They turned to the entrance of the cove they were in and saw the saucer-like vessel using the zoom in their helmets.

"Damn it, not now! Glyn, put this place between them and the ship, let's hope their sensors could be blinded by it! We will try to reach the fighters! Radio silence from now on!" Jaune ordered and analyzed the situation. They needed to move fast and the slug Grimm was starting to climb after them. He saw some big crystals around, many bigger than them and had an idea. "Lieutenant, toss those at them and clear us a path. We need to go." He turned around and noticed Yang was focused on Raven. "Lieutenant… YANG!"

There was a prolonged silence as the two women motioned to face each other. Jaune couldn't fathom what was going through their heads, nor was he really worried about that at that moment. The slugs were coming way too closer for his taste and he needed to get them moving.

"Yang, we'll have to postpone the family reunion and emotional moment! I need you to get those crystals and toss them against the slugs! ASAP!" Yang finally was brought off her stupor and did as asked, grabbing crystals and tossing them against the slugs, smashing some and forcing them to retreat.

With that the trio jumped down, Jaune carrying Raven as she didn't had a _Hunter_ armor to absorb the fall. As they landed, the captain let go of the woman and they rushed towards the fighters. The slugs though decided they didn't want their visitors to go, and started firing the spikes from their bodies. Jaune used his shield to cover for them and soon they saw the FTLRSS-6, covered in deadly slugs.

"Damn it! We can't set the auto destruction now!" Jaune shouted.

"Why? Let's just get our fighters and go out of here!" Yang questioned as they kept running for the fighters.

"That ship has the coordinates to our planet! We can't let the Queen get this data!"

"Who's this Queen?" Raven questioned.

"The one that is sending Grimm creatures across the galaxy. She is trying to find us and our star system! And believe me when I saw AAAAH!"

Jaune fell down with a white spike stuck in his leg. Yang cried out for him and grabbed and tossed him over her shoulder and they rushed after the two fighters. The blonde girl removed the spike and applied the sealant on his leg, hoping that the armor would do the first aid, but turned to see the slugs slowly approaching and the space saucer coming closer.

"Yang, put me on the survey fighter. We need to go back." Jaune said with labored breathing. "Once we are inside the _Nagato_ we blow up this place and take everything down with us!"

"OK, OK…" She did as he said and put him in the back seat of the survey fighter. "I hope you know how to pilot one of those… mom…"

"I'm just twenty years behind. You take your captain with you; I'll take the other one." Raven stated as she jumped in the fighter. "Uh, twenty years and it is all so familiar."

Yang sat on the fight and they took off. But as soon as they did the saucer launched several fighters of their one, prolonged silver vessels that reminded them of leaves, forcing them to fight back. That was when the blonde Marine received the emergency signal from Jaune's armor. He was entering in shock.

"Damn it! I need to take him to the ship or he will die!" She screamed over the radio.

"You go, I'll keep them busy!" Raven answered back as she turned around and started downing the enemy fighters. "Go!"

"But…"

"Your friend will die if you don't go! This is an order, lieutenant!" Raven shouted over the radio, and Yang did as asked.

It didn't take her long to reach the ship, and Jaune was hauled to the med bay. She would have gone with him if there wasn't for the other important person to her in danger, and instead rushed to the bridge.

"Raven, get your ass back here! We need to get out!" Glynda ordered via radio.

" _I can't without bringing every one of those to your doors! And that ship is going for the FTLRSS-6!_ "

"We will detonate the moon from here, come back!" Glynda ordered again, but Raven laughed surprising them.

" _How big will be this explosion and how fast it will expand_?" She asked, and Nora ran the calculations.

"It will take less than two minutes for the explosion to reach us… and we will need five to get out of this knot." She informed.

" _You can't get out on time, but I can in the fighter. I'll send a Dust missile on that thing and get out as fast as I can!_ " Raven stated and Glynda and Yang stared at Nora.

"The reason we have fighters is not because they are faster than bigger ships, but with less mass they can change directions and especially accelerate faster. The _Nagato_ would take five minutes to reach top speed and leave this pace, but the fighter has a chance of doing it in two minutes… barely." Nora admitted. 'Barely' wasn't good enough for Yang.

"No, no! I won't lose you again! Come back here and we will find another way!" The blonde Marine yelled over the radio.

" _Yang, listen to me! I need to do this! I don't know all the details, but it's clear those things are a threat to everyone back home! And I won't risk the life of my daughter! Glyn, take your damn ship out of here, I can't keep them off my back for too long to have this discussion! And Yang, I promise we will meet again! I won't lose any more time with you than I already did!_ "

"Don't you dare to give this order!" Yang shouted as she loomed threateningly at Glynda. The commander sighed and deactivated her _Hunter_.

"I'm sorry, Yang… I'm really sorry… Neptune, get us out of here."

…

Raven kept the dogfight the best she could, as long as she could. The sheer number of enemies made it almost impossible to avoid any damage, but somehow she managed with a few scratches on the fighter. Whoever made those did an awesome job, she thought. As soon as her radar signaled the _Nagato Kai_ left the superknot, she left a sigh out. She never imagined to met her daughter that way, and lamented it was such a brief encounter when there was so much to be said.

But she had a mission to do now, though, and she would accomplish it. She dodged a few fighters and launched her four Dust missiles, immediately turning around and trying to outrun her enemies. It took a half minute for the fighters to realize what she had done, and they stopped the pursuit of Raven and turned to try to intercept the missiles. They downed only one before the other three exploded in the surface of the Dust body bellow.

A big explosion filled with light.

The explosion destroyed the fighters and the saucer ship.

Raven closed her eyes and her thoughts were filled with her wish to meet her daughter again.

…

Jaune opened his eyes and recognized the med bay. He looked down and saw his leg was there, wrapped in bandages. Doc was by his side, smiling.

"So, how's the damage?" He questioned as he moved his leg a little.

"A day or two before the nanobots fix the bone and muscle, but there was a toxin that I was barely able to counter. I'm keeping you in observation for as long as I see fit." She explained and he nodded.

"I'm assuming everything went as planned?" He asked, and noticed the change in mood from the Faunus medic, and turned around to see Yang sleeping in the nearby bed.

"We lost three months of normal time there and… Raven used the fighter to blow up the Dust 'moon'. We have no idea what happened to her, so I had to give the poor girl a light sedative. But I'm not sure if she can recover of losing her mother twice like this." She explained and Jaune nodded and sighed.

…

"Hey." Jaune said as he noticed Yang waking up a few hours later.

"Hey…" She answered back meekly. "Good to see you again, skipper."

"Yeah, same here… How're you holding up?"

"I… want her back… It's so unfair…" she said as tears rolled from her eyes.

"I'm sure you will see her back." Jaune said in a comforting tone. Yang just left a nervous laugh out.

"Don't need to lie to me, skipper… even if she escaped the explosion, she is lost again in the subspace in that fighter… And what is our chance to stumble on her again?" She started crying, and Jaune reached for her hand.

"Quite good, actually. Yang, remember the remodeled fighter can warp. And even if Raven got unconscious, they are programmed to return to Remnant if something happens to the pilot. It means that if she did escape that explosion, she is in her way home." Yang eyes shot open and she stared at Jaune, sincerity coming from his blue eyes. She jumped out of her bed and into his, hugging and silently crying on his shoulder. Jaune just comforted her, a hand combing her bright blonde hair.

…

Yang dreamed again.

Inside the cockpit of a fighter.

From its windows, she saw them again.

Four metallic tubes floating around a dying planet.


	31. Hard Landing

Ren looked at his panel. There was the bleep on the subspace sensors again. It was incredible brief, and he wondered if that was a failure, a glitch or an event he wasn't aware. It seemed to be random, since they didn't detect it every time they warped, but it appeared in long travels, in apparently random moments. The best he could decipher of it was that the sign was some type of radio echo, like the one used in old radars. It was bothering him more than he liked to admit, so he decided to run all the sequences to try and find a pattern or source for it.

"So, what's the plan now? Just… fly around aimless?" Coco questioned the captain, and Jaune sighed. Since they met Yang's mother a few days ago all they did was jump in and out of warp, visiting random star systems. Certainly it was nice on the scientific side, but that didn't make them close to home. Not with the people that created the Grimm after them. He certainly needed a plan. Or at least an objective.

"A shame we can't just expose the bitch hunting us. If everyone was hunting her, we could use the fact her eyes is somewhere else to go home." Sun commented, and Jaune's eyes opened wide.

"Sun, you might be a genius! All we need to do is expose her!" The captain smiled and got up his sit. "Neptune, how far to the nearest _The Club_?"

" _The Club_ , sir? Wouldn't this info be useful to someone with a real military force?" The helmsman questioned.

"It would take a lot of bureaucracy to even approach a proper government, but if we deliver that to _The Club_ , they will spread the news faster than anyone, and we might get a chance of putting that 'queen' so busy dealing with it to keep herself hidden to just chase us." Jaune smiled brightly. "We might be able to go back home sooner if this works."

"Well, what we are waiting for? Warping to the nearest _The Club_!" Neptune said as the _Nagato Kai_ once again entered warp.

Ren observed his panel. The bleep happened again, this time.

…

Emerald walked through the corridors of the palace. As usual the sound of laughing, music and the moans of pleasure being had could be heard. She arrived to the garden, and many people was there living in debauchery. Many were consuming food, others drenching in alcohol while dancing and singing. Others were going into what many species would consider public indecency.

She didn't care. Everyone in the queen's domain were free to do anything they wanted, as long as they obeyed her orders, and no one would dare to disobey her powerful ruler, one whose live spanned thousands of years. Emerald didn't care about debauchery, she was beyond that, and found pleasure in serving her queen. She arrived to her throne in the middle of the garden, where Mercury and the beautiful queen waited.

"Ah, Emerald, dear. How about our little ship? Have they returned home yet?"

"No, my queen, still doing random warps. I believe they know we might be chasing them." emerald suggested, and Mercury laughed aloud.

"Those primitives? I'm surprised they even survived our last encounter, and got a better ship. I honestly am more interested in who helped them after our last encounter."

"I suspect my dear sisters might have something with this. I know they're hiding somewhere, out of my mind's reach, out of time, probably. But I get glimpses of them from time to time." The queen stated as she ate a piece of fruit. "That's why you won't destroy that little ship right away, Mercury, or their planet. I want to know where those two little birds flew to."

"Of course, my queen. But wouldn't they spread the knowledge of our existence to the galaxy? While none of the lowly species could pose a threat to us, they can become an annoyance." The silver haired boy wondered, and the queen laughed loudly.

"You don't need to worry, Mercury. If anyone of them tries to go after us, we just launch our dark matter spores on their planets. I doubt they will decide to find us when their planet is being devoured by the darkness in their hearts." The queen made a motion of hand, and a crystal cup filled with a dark liquid appeared. She drank of it, and her veins become black as her eyes shone a fiery light. "Nothing and no one is a threat to me. Emerald, we are going to pay a visit to the little ship's crew. Once you locked their last position, move the palace close to them."

"The… palace, my queen?" Emerald was surprised with that order.

"Let's invite them in." The queen laughed loudly as she drank more of the dark liquid.

…

"Jun'ee'or! I'm so glad you're alive!" Yang celebrated with her feet on the alien's throat. They had the lucky to stumble upon him in _The Club_ , and were now thanking him for the last piece of info he shared.

"Come on! It was just business!" He defended himself as he tried to get her off him. The rest of the people there didn't react as fireteam RWBY pointed their guns towards them.

"Yeah, of course it was. How much he paid? Eh, doesn't matter. Roman's toast, and now I'm deciding if so should be you?" She pressed her feet on his throat harder.

"Sis, remember we have our orders. I think he is more useful to us alive." Ruby said as she kept the security drones at bay with her plasma scythe.

"Yeah, yeah. So, Jun'ee'or, we have a little piece of info for you, one that we believe will make you indebted with us for life." Yang said, and he really wished they didn't wear helmets that hid their faces so he could analyze them better.

"Get out! I have no more business with your kind! I lost one of my clubs thanks to you! And now the clients are afraid of coming here!" The alien protested.

"That's your own fault for trying to sell us out." Weiss stated plainly.

"Besides, you'll love this info. We know how the Devourers arrive into a planet, and who's behind it." There was a moment of stunned silence, and Jun'ee'or evaluated that situation in a different light. If the information they had was truthful, he was sitting in a gold mine.

"I don't believe you." He decided to risk playing their game.

"Hmm, maybe one of the gentlemen around will." Yang wondered as she played with a data chip in her hand.

"If it's true, what do you want in exchange?" Jun'ee'or asked as he eyed the chip.

"Oh, a few things. First, you will feed misinformation about us to anyone asking. I don't care what you say as long as you keep anyone after us in the dark. Second, you will never, ever set us a trap. We have a battleship, we know where your clubs are and this time we'll be the ones to blow shit up. Got it?" Yang threatened and he nodded, so she dropped the chip by his side and left with the rest of the team.

…

The Nagato Kai floated in a trinity star system, collecting data from afar. Jaune decided with their primary and secondary objectives finished, they could just use the time to get some scientific information on the side. The fact the vision was gorgeous helped out with the crew boredom. He decided to give a month for the information to start to spread, and then they would risk going back home. Suffice to say that pleased everyone and the situation were fairly happy as far as he could tell.

"So, where do you want to live? Cold planet with mountains or wet planet with islands?" Yang asked him, prompting Velvet and Pyrrha to look at him too.

"Anywhere is fine as long as I have my own room. Living with seven sisters is hard. Besides, it's not like I'll be able to stay in the house for long." Jaune commented and the girls gave him questioning stares. "I'm a captain of the Spacy after all. Even if we end as celebrities, I'll probably have to command a ship during the migration. I mean, it's not easy to move two million people."

"Well, I hope we move to the nice summer planet. I'd love to have lovely beaches and fun all day." Yang commented.

"The cold planet seems better for colonization, though, with agriculture and all that we will need to do for survival. But sadly it will be the Council that will come with a decision." Pyrrha said with a dejected frown. "Knowing them it will take a decade before they settle which one."

"Can't we just go there, deliver the info and the warp cores and move ourselves? I mean, we do have a ship and all." Velvet suggested, and the other girls agreed with the idea.

"Well, for more that I think of the _Nagato_ as ours, I'm sure that would be classified as treason." Jaune explained, but kept smiling. "But you know, exploring the unknown space doesn't feel abed either, if you had the right people with you."

…

"This makes no sense…" Ren muttered as he checked the data on the bleeps he had being detecting with Penny and Nora at the dock.

"Maybe it's the radio signature of a pulsar star bleeding to the subspace?" Penny wondered.

"No, it's too clean." Ren answered as he checked the data again. "And don't match any registered pulsar frequency. Besides, it doesn't have a frequency, it's so random."

"No, it's not." Nora said absent minded as she messed with some type of rocket launcher. Ren and Penny stared at her.

"Nora, would you kindly elaborate?" Ren asked, and Nora took her eyes from the weapon and stared at the data on his screens.

"It happens every time we warp from an inhabited star system, then roughly every cycle. It's like it have subspace sensors that fire every time it detect our signature, and then just automated do it." Nora explained, and Ren stared at the data again. If he considered the signal artificial, that would make sense, but…

"Nora, why do you believe it just detects us?"

"Oh, here, the last bleep at Jun'ee'or's. There was lots of ships coming and going, but only when we warped in and out our sensors detect it. If it was trying to find a random ship, it would fire every time a subspace disturbance occurs. Then the constant bleeping feels like it is sending the signal between each other." The energetic girl finished like she said something without importance. Ren on the other hand clenched his fists.

…

"Someone is trying to find us?" Jaune asked as Ren and Nora explained their finding to him and the rest of the crew.

"We believe there's some type of subspace buoys in key points of the sector, trying to find the _Nagato Kai_ signature." Ren explained. The signature of a ship was composed of its electromagnetic waves, unique to each ship, so it was possible to use it to identify a ship. "This means that not returning home was the right decision, if they could use this data to find our star system. But it also means that they can try to pinpoint where we are based on our patterns."

"And here I thought we could just lazy around here before returning home… Suggestions?" Jaune required as he sat back on his seat.

"We can just keep moving away from home, but they could just use it as a clue. Going home right now could either throw them off our tail or lead them straight to our home planet. I believe we should go to the subspace and randomly navigate there until the effects of our little visit to _The Club_ can be felt." Glynda said, and Jaune nodded.

"Seems like the best way to keep us safe. Ah well, it's…"

"Subspace anomaly detecting… A rather large object is warping out." Penny stated all of sudden, and Jaune put the ship in red alert. They were relatively far from the safest warp point, but the object was warping out awfully close of them.

The ship moved far from the anomaly as an object the tenth the size of their own moon appeared. It was a half sphere at first, until they realized what it was, a colossal artificial colony. In the top of the half-sphere were rivers, forests and even hills. They could see a small city in the center, with the other half of the sphere being actually some type of transparent dome held by thing columns. Light was being provided by a structure in the top of the sphere, provided by something they could only describe as a castle. As the structure finished warping out, it launched three saucer-like vessels in their direction.

"Sir, we're being hailed." Velvet exclaimed from her terminal.

"Pass them through." Jaune ordered. The main screen showed an incredible beautiful woman in a red dress. She had fierce yellow-reddish eyes and luscious black hair. The image showed her in a kind of throne in the middle of a garden, showing her full body. "I'm Captain Jaune Arc of the _Nagato Kai_. Please, identify yourself."

"My, I never expected you to be cute. Usually you'd expect captains to be old rugged men, not a young, charming boy like you." She stated with a smile, one that was at the same time sweet and dangerous. "I'm Queen Cinder of the Galaxy. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Captain Arc."

"That implies we had previously knowledge of each other's existence." Jaune inferred, trying to keep her busy as he planed how to deal with the situation. No matter how much upgrades the _Nagato Kai_ had, he still believed that to be a very disadvantageous situation to them.

"Oh, but I'm sure you saw my vessels before, and I do know of you due to a common acquaintance. An exploration vessel, trying to find a new home for your people as your planet is being devoured." She stated, and she smile at the subtle reactions confirming her suspicious. "There's a reason of why I'm allowing your little ship to fly, Captain Arc. I can sense on you, you met my sisters, Melanie and Miltiades. See, they have being naughty little girls and not obeying their big sister, so I hope you could tell me where they are. I might even… reward you if you do."

Jaune didn't believe she could offer any kind of reward he could be interested in. Any kind of deal with that woman offered felt like a contract with a devil, and he knew sooner than later he would come to regret it. At the same time, he saw an opportunity there. If he could discover how to end the menace she poised to them, they could all go home.

"A reward?" He asked, mildly curious.

"Ah, yes. See, there's only one thing that make all things in this universe equal, and that is death… or at least, it was. We conquered death, I've being alive for longer than many civilizations have being dreaming of conquering what I have. This…" she showed the cup with black liquid. "…is immortality, the gift of living forever without worrying about tomorrow, to enjoy ourselves for eternity. It's not a gift I keep to myself, though. I share it with my loyal subjects." She waved at Mercury and Emerald one on each of her sides. "And I might share it with you and your crew too. Maybe even with your entire world if you swear allegiance to me, and answer my questions."

They knew of course at what price that immortality would came. Jaune knew his government wouldn't mind sacrificing countless lives across the galaxy if it meant their own safety, and the immortality 'gift', if one could call it that. It was tempting, he couldn't deny, and the fact that could put his family in safety was a thought that crossed his mind. But he remembered the planets they visited, he remembered Calinora's planet, and decided it wasn't worth it. But he needed to deal with that situation now.

"I see. Your offer is tempting, but I need time to talk with my crew, if that's fine with you."

"I'll give you a few moments, Captain Arc. But don't make me wait. I hate waiting." With that the communication ended.

"You're not really thinking about her proposal, are you? First, I think she has no intention of complying, and second, that would make us murderers." Blake commented, and Jaune nodded in agreement.

"Coco, Neptune, can we escape them?"

"Well, I think we could outrun them. The _Nagato Kai_ , in theory, could defeat one of those saucers, but not three, and we even don't know what else they have on that colony." Coco answered.

"Sir, if we run, we will keep running forever. It's clear they have ways to find us. If I might suggest, I think we need to use this chance to eliminate the biggest threat to our survival." Glynda suggested as she fixed her glasses.

"Yeah, if we have barely a chance of escaping them, how do we expect to win against them?" Sun questioned.

"There's a way… If you trust me." Jaune said, and they were all ears.

…

"I didn't expect him to come to meet you, my queen." Emerald commented as the screen showed the saucers escorting the _Nagato Kai_ towards their 'castle'. "I figured him to be one of those honorable types that believe in silly things like honor and pride."

"They all act like that at first, but deep down, they all fear death. Give them the chance, and they will sell everything they hold dear for what we have." Mercury dismissed the issue.

"I'd not count on that so soon, Mercury. I think he might believe he can convince me of my 'wrong ways'. Little fool, thinking such naïve way of thinking would make me give up in an eternal life of pleasure." The queen answered while sipping from her cup. "In the end, they are all little greed creatures only looking for themselves."

As she said this there's was a flash of light from the screen, making the trio to stand up and approach it. When the glare subsided, they saw the _Nagato Kai_ firing against the ship, but instead of running away, it was going in their direction while firing against the vessel.

"What are they doing?" emerald asked as she accessed another screen. "They're coming directly at us!"

"Don't waste your time! Launch the other vessels to intercept!" Mercury ordered.

"They won't arrive in time! Are they… Are they planning to crash on us?"

Cinder watched the events unfold and grasped her cup till her knuckles turned white. She underestimated the crew of the _Nagato_ for the last time.

…

"I hope this work!" Neptune yelled.

Coco and Sun kept firing against the vessels, the surprise attack allowing them to damage one of their pursuers beyond enough to make them stop pursuing, but the other two kept firing, forcing the helmsman to evade. The new shields were resisting, but that would not be for long, and they couldn't withstand the enemy fire for longer.

"Stick to the plan! We are going to pay the queen a visit!" Jaune shouted.

The _Nagato_ approached the colony and started firing against its dome. Using the MASER and the front cannons, it cracked the structure. Apparently the colony itself lacked some type of self-defense system as the saucers were the only ones firing against the approaching ship.

As the distance got smaller, the _Nagato_ fired a round of missiles, and they exploded in a circular formation, making the outer layer of transparent panels crack and explode in pieces. In seconds the ship hit the opening, its bow perforating the internal layer and allowing them inside the colony. One of the saucers followed them inside, while the other maneuvered and used its own body to close the hole the Remnant ship made.

The first saucer was clearly having difficulty maneuvering in an atmospheric space with gravity, its format not being the most correct for that type of fight. This allowed the _Nagato Kai_ to out maneuver it, making a loop and getting above the saucer, firing its belly cannons and sinking it.

"Well, that worked… I didn't doubt it for a minute." Sun commented as he left out a relieved sigh.

"Let's not get cocky here. We still…" Jaune started but couldn't finish it as the ship shook violently.

"Gah! They hit us! Firing coming from the ground! It hit our engines!" Ren shouted from his terminal as the Nagato started its long decent towards the ground.

"What was THAT?!" Coco yelled as the ship kept trembling all the way down.

…

Cinder smiled as she gave her bow to Emerald. The _Nagato Kai_ was falling down with smoke coming from its wings. She admired their courage in attempting a direct assault, but now they knew that wouldn't be so easy. Still, she was angry over the fact they proved her wrong, and would try everything before submitting to her. She would prove they made the wrong choice.

"Mercury, Emerald, bring any survivor here. Kill them if they prove too much trouble, but I want their captain alive. I'll show them the consequences of challenging me." Cinder said before returning to her throne.

"Why not just killing them all?" Mercury questioned; a mistake he was prone to make.

"Because your queen ordered, or do you think I'm wrong." Cinder threatened as her eyes glowed.

"No, my queen, never." The silver haired boy submitted.

"Let's go, smart ass. Maybe now you will make the sound we love the most, you not speaking." Emerald smirked as she threw the jab, making Mercury growl at her.

…

The _Nagato Kai_ fall fast, the wind howling in its decent, whistling loudly enough to be heard for many kilometers away. It was clearly going to have a hard landing, as it approached the ground with its tip pointed down. It was then that it started firing its belly cannons, using the impact of the explosions to push its tip up and reduce its speed.

Even so, a few seconds later the ship hit the ground hard, destroying many trees along the way, digging a deep ditch in the ground along its path. It only stopped after a good ten kilometers of destruction, a cloud of dark smoke coming from it.

No signs come from it when it finally stopped, its bow pointing towards the huge structure in the top of the dome.

…

 **A.N.: Thanks for your patience. I had some personal problems recently and only know felt in the mood to write this chapter. Of course, now it's time for the crew to fight the ultimate… mid-bosses!**


End file.
